Since I last posted, questions about the criminal nature of Baby Mary’s death by starvation in a Toronto hospital have arisen. Here is a follow-up post from The Protection of Conscience Project about what could be done.
It is now too late for charges to be laid for failing to report a child in need of protection as the limitation of action period has expired.7 On the other hand, there is no limitation period for criminal negligence causing death or murder, so it is still possible for police to investigate the allegations and lay criminal charges if appropriate. Assuming that the Journal article has accurately stated the dates of the birth and death of Baby Mary, it should be possible to determine her actual identity by searching Vital Statistics records for the months of October and November from 2012 and earlier. Records of her birth and death would provide police with the names of the parents and the institution where she died, and they would then be able to pursue the investigation by questioning the authors of the Journal article and health care workers involved with her care.
While the Journal article raises very interesting questions from the perspective of freedom of conscience and religion for health care workers, it is prudent to withhold further comment on the allegations until it is clear what action, if any, will be undertaken by state authorities in the Province of Ontario.
The Toronto Police have been notified.








There is going to need to be some political pressure applied to the police if we actually want them to take up this case in earnest, I think. The doctors have a powerful lobby, and are quite adept at making unfavorable cases simply disappear. Could we get prolife MPs and MPPs asking questions about this in question period? How can we keep this case on the radar, so it doesn’t just get buried? I know the Protection of Conscience Project says that it wouldn’t be prudent to discuss these allegations until we see what the police will do, but I’m not sure I agree. I actually think we need to make some noise, otherwise it is quite possible that nothing will be done.