Sunburned Babies

Jenna · Aug 21, 2002

<B>STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) --</B> <B>A woman was arrested on felony charges for allegedly letting her three children get so severely sunburned that they looked like they "were dipped in red paint."</B>

Eve Hibbits was arrested a week ago on three counts of child endangerment, said Sheriff Fred Abdalla.

She remained in jail Tuesday in lieu of $15,000 bail, and a preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday.

Abdalla said a deputy noticed her 2-year-old daughter and 10-month-old twin boys had severely sunburned faces at the Jefferson County Fair.

"She pushed her kids around the fairground all day last Tuesday, and it looked like those kids' faces were dipped in red paint," he said. "There was no sunscreen or nothing on these children."

The children had second-degree sunburns and were treated with cold compresses, said Trinity Medical Center West spokesman Keith Murdock.

Hibbits, 31, could face 15 years in jail if convicted of all three counts.

 

 

Ok, so do you think that the mother should be jailed for the sunburns that her children aquired? Do you think that this should be classified as abuse or just very poor judgement? What's your take on what should happen next?

kiwimac · Aug 21, 2002

Seems a bit harsh, I'd make sure she was the one who had to treat them, who had to get up in the middle of the night & who had to deal with the itchies later on!

Having said that, I take inordinate care mine don't get burnt!

Kiwimac

Brimshack · Aug 21, 2002

Hard to get a handle on this one. I can imagine this one either way (an over-reaction or a genuine case of neglect), but frankly that's all I've got to sort this one out right now, my imagination. In practice, I doubt that this would be enough to land her in jail. Barring mitigating factors (perhaps she is known to be abusive already), I would expect them to make a deal, perhaps order social services to check up on her for a few years.

Jenna · Aug 21, 2002

Hmmm.....apparently they are lessening the charges against her because the sunburns were not as bad as what they had origionally thought.

\o/ · Aug 21, 2002

The government has no business in whether children are sunburned or not. Go away, Big Brother.

Brimshack · Aug 21, 2002

So, are you saying that a sunburn cannot become a health risk, or that the government has no business protecting babies from abusive parents? (BTW: Thuh Government in this case, county jurisdiction; I don't know if that could qualifyas a 'big brother'.) It is one thing to say that there are credibility problems associated with the case, and quite another to say that this type of case is in principle beyond the scope of legal interests.

Brimshack · Aug 21, 2002

Is there an online source for this Jenna?

Annabel Lee · Aug 21, 2002

Originally posted by \o/\o/
The government has no business in whether children are sunburned or not. Go away, Big Brother.

Maybe. That would depend. If the mother was so negligent that she put her children at risk, I think someone should step in. Since when do parents have the legal right to let their children get sun poisoning?
As a very light skinned person with very light skinned children living in S.Cal, I carry sunscreen in my purse. Don't leave home without it, especially with the hole in the ozone layer.
Sunburns can be very serious. The mother, while probably not a criminal, is certainly an idiot.

Miss Shelby · Aug 21, 2002

Originally posted by Annabel Lee
 
The mother, while probably not a criminal, is certainly an idiot.

That's for sure.  How hard is it to apply sunblock to a child's skin?

Makes you wonder what else goes on in her household.

Michelle

\o/ · Aug 21, 2002

I agree she is an idiot, but she isn't a criminal.
Do we want the government involved in more "idiotic" ways? or has the government gotten into too much of our personal lives already?

\o/ · Aug 21, 2002

Does the government think that it is for the children's benefit (or for the mother's) to lock her away from her children (at taxpayer's expense)? Wouldn't that be more abuse on the children?

Messenger · Aug 21, 2002

This mother had all 3 of her children at the fair...Although she is stupid I don't think she is criminal and I would bet her children want their mommy. I think maybe she does need someone to watch over her and the children and be sure they are safe but I don't know that jail is the right place to be. If this is the first time especially. I could understand more if this mom made her kids go outside while she stayed inside sleeping or using drugs but if she takes her kids on an outing and they get burned without her thinking then she just isn't very smart.

nyj · Aug 21, 2002

I think just about every child has gotten sunburned in their lifetime. I suppose we should lock every parent away.

Divinus · Aug 21, 2002

Its the extent, nyj. To be so sunburned you look like you've been dipped in paint is extreme - and very painful for the kids, I should imagine. My mother wouldn't have let me get that burnt, though of course I did get a little burnt - kids do - but nowhere near that extent.

I would imagine that the government is trying to give her a shock, to try to make her realise her responsibilities, rather than actually take her away as an unfit mother. There are a lot of stupid people out there who can inadvertently harm children without meaning to. All they need is information, not punishment per se.

Brimshack · Aug 21, 2002

Thuh government doesn't think anything; you are leaning way too hard on that abstraction. You have also shifted your position by questioning the judgement of 'the government' rather than it's jurisdiction. But you haven't answered my question, so I gather that you are just venting about big brother rather than thinking seriously about the issue. It's a popular sport, not to be confused with critical thinking. Enjoy.

admozart · Aug 22, 2002

I think everything I was thinking has already been said but am posting it anyway.

Could the severity of the sunburns have been exxagerated at all?

And, has the woman done anything in the past that suggests she might be negligent?  Not that being a first time offense excuses a case of outright abuse. 

I mean, maybe she's just dumb enough to not use sunscreen for an all day outdoor event.

But even so, I would think that at some point she would have noticed that her kids were getting a little too much sun.  Again, maybe she's just that stupid.  It doesn't mean her kids should be taken away.

ZiSunka · Aug 22, 2002

The charges of child endangerment were dropped yesterday.

Turns out the burn was not that bad. When the kids woke up the next morning, their cheeks were pink, not burned, and there was no skin damage.

She's still being charged with a misdimeanor, for something like failure to supervise her children.

Kiwi · Aug 22, 2002

how silly, what a waste of jail space and police time, what else could you be booked on? Forgetting to change your babies nappy? Political correctness gone mad.

ZiSunka · Aug 22, 2002

That sheriff WAY over-reacted.

O'Mara · Aug 24, 2002

so I gather that you are just venting about big brother rather than thinking seriously about the issue. It's a popular sport, not to be confused with critical thinking. Enjoy.

You mean the government isn't just some conspiring evil beauracracy out to ruin everyone's day?

Sunburned Babies

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