Sunday, March 27, 2016

Nausheen Rahman: New York; Purvi Patel: Indiana; Bei Bei Shuai: Indiana; Eesha Pandit (Salon) discusses the case of a Staten Island woman charged with the murder of her newborn in which "nobody is asking the right questions about it."..." This phenomenon occurs across the spectrum — so many of us face the shame, silence and isolation trifecta. Those who become pregnant out of wedlock, those who want an abortion but are told it is a sin, those who become pregnant and are drug-dependent, those who are LGBTQ, those who want an abortion and can’t get one because they are too poor, too far away from a clinic, or too ashamed. Those who need mental health support. Those who feel backed into a corner with no way out. This is a conversation to be had in our diverse communities, hardly any of which are immune to perpetuating shame and silence. This is a conversation that should certainly include reproductive rights, since we know that the legalization of abortion in 1973 precipitated a significant drop in the numbers of infanticide in the U.S."





GIST: "The chronology of events reeks of desperation and disconnection. Twenty-eight-year-old Nausheen Rahman gave birth to a baby girl, alone, in her family’s Staten Island condo. The accounts of what happened next are contested. She’s been charged with the murder of her newborn, a baby girl, and then disposing of the body in a trash can outside the home where she lives with her parents and two younger brothers. Her family claim that they didn’t know Ms. Rahman was pregnant. The Staten Island assistant district attorney, Jane Grinberg, made the case that this was a violent, horrific act for which Ms. Rahman should be punished. Because she has relatives outside the United States, Judge Raja Rajeswari ordered that Ms. Rahman be held at Rikers Island Jail without bail. She will remain there while she awaits trial. If the prosecution’s case is true, what would cause a woman like Nausheen Rahman to do what she did? If the events are not what they say, and Ms. Rahman didn’t kill her baby, then what happened, and why? The facts as presented by the prosecution thus far bear striking similarity to the case of Purvi Patel in Indiana. Patel, a 33-year-old Indian American woman, lived with her parents and grandparents, took care of them and worked at the family store. Last year, she became the first woman in the United States to be convicted and sent to prison for feticide. She asserts that she had a miscarriage. Asian American women are certainly targets for bias, and, consequently, prosecution. In 2011, Indiana prosecutors charged Bei Bei Shuai with attempted feticide and murder. Ms. Shuai, a Chinese immigrant, attempted suicide unsuccessfully, and then delivered a baby that died soon after birth. She wasn’t offered mental health care, or community support. Instead, she was held without bail for over a year. In the face of more prison time, Ms. Shuai accepted a plea deal to a lesser charge.......... This phenomenon occurs across the spectrum — so many of us face the shame, silence and isolation trifecta. Those who become pregnant out of wedlock, those who want an abortion but are told it is a sin, those who become pregnant and are drug-dependent, those who are LGBTQ, those who want an abortion and can’t get one because they are too poor, too far away from a clinic, or too ashamed. Those who need mental health support. Those who feel backed into a corner with no way out. This is a conversation to be had in our diverse communities, hardly any of which are immune to perpetuating shame and silence. This is a conversation that should certainly include reproductive rights, since we know that the legalization of abortion in 1973 precipitated a significant drop in the numbers of infanticide in the U.S."

The entire story can be  found at:

http://www.salon.com/2016/03/23/the_conversation_we_need_to_have_about_infanticide/

See India West report on her indictment: "New York woman who dumped newborn in trash indicted."..."The actions of this defendant are so horrendous and so reprehensible that it shocks one’s conscience,” Jane Grinberg, an assistant district attorney, said at the March 14 court hearing, according to the Times report. Grinberg said that Rahman had seen a doctor about her pregnancy, but that she kept it a secret from her parents. (Defence lawyer) Rosas said he doubted the prosecution’s version of events. Neighbors around the Honey Bee Condominiums on Staten Island, where Rahman lived with her parents and two younger brothers, said they had no idea she was pregnant. She often wore traditional clothes from India, they said, and the fabrics hung loose around her frame, reported the Times, adding that Judge Raja Rajeswari ordered her to held without bail. Rahman’s arraignment is scheduled for March 30."

http://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/new-york-woman-who-dumped-newborn-in-trash-indicted/article_6a3957c4-f2c0-11e5-9ba7-5fee22b11eb8.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.

The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:

http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.