Texas Couple Accused of Abusing Baby

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBJ1DQ2X4E.html

HOUSTON (AP) - A young couple are accused of critically injuring their 6-month-old baby, who police say was sexually assaulted, suffered broken bones from head to toe, and had her tongue nearly severed.

Donna Marie Norman, 19, and her common-law husband, Ivan Castaneda, 21, were jailed without bail on charges of causing injury to a child.

The infant lay in critical condition Monday at a hospital. She was transferred there last week after her parents brought her to another hospital, saying she was suffering from congestion.

Child Protective Services spokeswoman Estella Olguin said the baby had been sexually abused, had two broken legs, a broken arm, a fractured skull, a fractured vertebrae and a broken rib.

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And in further news 39% of Americans consider torture acceptable behavior...

[WindRavenX]

1. jesus, what is going on?

It seems to be that there is either an increase of violent behavior towards children OR there is an increase of media coverage of violent behavior towards children.
Either way, it seems humanity is becoming more cruel ;(

[Archae]

6. The actual numbers are about the same from 100, 200 years ago.

The big difference is in that more people are actually being prosecuted, and the media is on it almost as it happens.

[chookie]

19. Do you have a source for that?

Not doubting you, but just would like to read more about this.

I came across an article, written in 1998 about research conducted at Sam Houston U, that says child abuse is up 41% in Texas.
http://www.nospank.net/n-d12.htm.

Lot's of interesting stuff, but most intriguing is the statistics about what percentage of people do not regard striking with fists or sexual intercourse with one's children as abuse. Huh?

[radwriter0555]

35. You're correct. With mass media we HEAR about it far more than we

ever did in the past.

The numbers haven't changed per capita. These abuses are crimes that happen to a specific segment and portion of the population regardless of race, religion, etc.

[ynksnewyork2]

10. There's a medical term

used to describe people like this, you learn it the first couple years of med school. It's called SICK FU*KS!!!

[lala_rawraw]

2. oy

What the hell is going on with the world... oy!!!!!!!!!!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

3. How awful! n/t

[Can o Beans]

4. I thought you were going to say that

They raised the baby as a Bush voter.

Now I realize the true sadness of the situation... :(

[arcane1]

5. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE????????

[MissB]

13. If you've ever checked out some of Dobson's crap

You'd probably understand (although you may have been asking a rhetorical question).

The anti-choice people (pro-life, if you must) are by and large an odd lot. You've probably seen references on DU to these people as being "pro-life until birth". It is quite often true, it seems.

When I gave birth to my first child, my OB (who had no children of her own) recommended "On Becoming Babywise". You could google up the website if you want. The Ezzo stuff is horrific in a number of ways - although possibly not as bad as some of the James Dobson shit. It advocates control of the baby from an early age.

My ped straightened out my OB just after I mentioned her recommendation. :) But it is out there, and some parents do really believe that one must punish a baby from an early age. Or control the baby from an early age. Or that a baby should not cry.

Why? Because they find the idea of control over a helpless human to be acceptable. One cannot (or should not) beat a baby and expect the baby to grow up as anything but a battered person with a battered ego. And yet the control is recommended by some very influential people. If the idea of control is accepted, then this certainly ought to be an expected result.

Some people value life, until that baby is born. (And I am aware that I am probably stepping on a few anti-choice dems here. I'm mainly referring to those people that use biblical reasons to beat their babies.) That's why this shit happens.

[MountainLaurel]

21. Amen Ms. B

Got it in one

But it is out there, and some parents do really believe that one must punish a baby from an early age. Or control the baby from an early age. Or that a baby should not cry.

Why? Because they find the idea of control over a helpless human to be acceptable. One cannot (or should not) beat a baby and expect the baby to grow up as anything but a battered person with a battered ego. And yet the control is recommended by some very influential people. If the idea of control is accepted, then this certainly ought to be an expected result.

[StuckinKS]

27. But you won't hear Dobson and his ilk

decrying all these abused children. Noooooo...they have their hands busy trying to deny rights to gay Americans. Gay Americans who just might make great parents for these children being abused by their heterosexual parents.

Because that, my friends, is how we protect marriage.

[meow2u3]

33. I'm James Dobson and I approve this child abuse

After all, Dobson called infants "tiny tyrants" in his book, The Strong-Willed Child, which I read 20 years ago.
He doesn't bother to call "fathers" like himself big tyrants, the like of whom perpetrate the most vile abuse--even of babies--in the name of discipline.

[jhain]

29. absolutely

ezzo, dobson and now the pearls...
all examples of sick, greedy asses charging young parents money to 'learn' their abusives programs.

Keep fighting- I do every day.
-J

[apple_ridge]

7. Red state love.

[QC]

Oh bullshit.

Unblock your profile so that we can know where you live and let's have some fun. I'm sure I can find some hair-raising examples of cruelty in your area that I can attribute to you based on where you happen to live.

[agitpropagent9]

30. thank you QC (n/t)

.

[Charon]

32. State Love

Was the thread about the baby in Whitcom County Washington a case of "Blue" state love. Unfortunately, this type of brutality really knows no boundaries.

[Maestro]

8. How can you hurt a baby?

And how can anyone want to and/or allow someone to sexually abuse a baby? These people are sick. Throw them in an excrement laden cell to rot. God there are a few crimes that just get to me and harming children is one of them.

[arcane1]

11. but of course there is nothing in the 10 commandments about this

indeed, according to the big 10, that poor child has to honour her mother and father :puke:

[rkc3]

20. And Leviticus says you can beat the shit out of your kids ...

for talking back.

[VegasWolf]

22. Levictus was one heavily fucked up dude. Eat a lobster and go to hell.

[Teaser]

9. Give me a room, 10 minutes, and a lead pipe...

with these freaks.

Bah...it's a good thing we have laws against torture (hear that, Alberto? We do!) because my gut wants to fire up a gas grill, put these fuckers hands on the grating, and slam down the lid.

[rkc3]

16. I wouldn't need 10 minutes or a lead pipe.

There's no excuse for what these two have done and if there's any justice, no child will ever be hurt by them again.

There was a story of a preist, convicted of sexual abuse on a minor, who was put in a cell with a felon who had been raped as a boy. The priest didn't make it through the night - we can only hope these two get the same accomodations.

[TwentyFive]

12. Yeah! Protect the strong - exploit the weak! Conservative American values!

[babylonsister]

14. Unbearably sad. Last I heard on the news in Houston,

this poor baby was on life support.

[patdem]

15. How long does one have to live together in Texas to become commonlaw

husband and wife..since the woman is only 19? It should say Norman and her live in boyfriend, which is what it actually is! I guess the fundies want to believe if it is a woman and man who have born children they have some sort of legal 'marriage contract'? :grr:

[Horse with no Name]

25. There is no time specified although you must meet "conditions"

Three elements must be present to form a common law marriage in Texas.

First, you must have "agreed to be married."

Second, you must have "held yourselves out" as husband and wife. You must have represented to others that you were married to each other. As an example of this, you may have introduced you partner socially as "my husband," or you may have filed a joint income tax return.

Third, you must have lived together in this state as husband and wife.

[BanzaiBonnie]

17. While I would never excuse such a thing...

The more economic stress our society is under, the worse spousal abuse and child abuse will become.

It's the shit rolls downhill scenario.

[thebeaglehaslanded]

18. An eye for an eye

Their fate should be to suffer whatever they inflicted on the baby.

[JoMama49]

23. I work for a drug treatment program in SF - believe me, stories

like this are more commonplace than you would think -- what with young women exchanging sex for drugs and all kinds of desperate, sick behaviors, it's a miracle we don't have more of this. I see this first-hand every day. No one has any preparation for being parents, other than the way they were parented as children. So, what do you do if you have never been parented yourself, grew up on the streets, and then developed a drug habit? In our country, a 13-year old can walk out of a hospital with a newborn infant, as long as she has someplace to live. I've long said there is something wrong with that. I personally believe we should have to have parenting licenses, with at least the training and regulations we have for driving a car! My husband and I adopted 5 children from parents like this, all full bio sibs, and all special needs children, believe me. Luckily for the kids, the violence was mostly between the parents, not dished out on the kids. Our oldest is now 16 and our youngest is 10. They will never undersand how their bio parents could have had them and then just walked away. I know, though, that they are far better off, and that their bio parents should never raise any children. This couple sounds very similar. How do we allow sick people like this to walk out of a hospital with a precious babe? Answer: we just don't care that much about children in our society.

[AmandaRuth]

31. " My husband and I adopted 5 children from parents like this"

Bless you, you are a true hero and so much more of a Christian than the whole lot of those falwell and dobson ilk. I greatly admire you.

[shrike]

34. A woman here in Indiana

was sentenced to 100 years for forcing her children to commit sex acts with each other and her boyfriend in front of strangers who paid to watch. They were all under the age of nine.

This was a year or so ago, but last I heard the kids were in foster care. The biggest challenge facing therapists was keeping the kids from approaching each other, and other children, sexually.

Hopefully these kids will meet some caring adults like yourself.

[NNN0LHI]

24. No. We don't rape rapists in a civilized society

These two if found guilty of their crimes deserve to live what is ever left of their miserable lives in a maximum security prison. I mean they NEVER see the light of day again if found guilty. I don't care if they live to be a hundred. They don't get out.

Don

[Maestro]

28. I'm with you

Like I said before...let them rot in prison in their own filth.

[donheld]

26. Very sad

It's just too disgusting. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: