The Broken Arm, yet AGAIN!

*sigh*

Justice for Ayla has a write up about Ayla's broken arm. It is a good read, and goes into a lot of detail about fractures and the whole situation.

I'll address only a few points, because I think this issue has been debated extensively, and no one has any of the real answers necessary to decide if the incident was abuse or an accident.

1. The doctor who initially suspected abuse also thought that the fracture was more serious than it was. This is evidenced by the fact that the doctor said surgery would be necessary. Well, we all know that in the end, Ayla did not have surgery, and was put into a splint or soft cast (I think people are using the terms interchangeably).

2. 24 hours is hardly a delay in medical care that can be used to prove abuse. Usually when you see delayed medical care in a child abuse case, so much time has lapsed that either the child's injury has healed completely or to a degree or older injuries are found. For example, a child goes in for a terrible cough. The doctor orders x-rays and finds that the child has broken ribs that are almost completely healed, but the child was never seen for the broken ribs. That's a delay, at least in my mind.

3. Justin's reasoning for not going to the hospital the very night it happened is very understandable. Since it's common knowledge that kids' bones do not break as easily as adults' bones, Justin and/or Phoebe may have thought it was less serious than it was. Parents do not always know when a child needs to be seen. Nurses hotlines have been created; parents describe symptoms and a nurse either advises them what to do or instructs them to get emergency care. On the opposite end of that, have you ever seen a child in the emergency room who looked to be just fine? That's because chances are, the child is not being seen for something that is truly an emergency, and his or her parent should have just waited to schedule an appointment with a primary care physician.

4. Forearm fractures are commonly caused by children falling on their own outstretch arms. The pressure that breaks the arm is applied ONLY by the child. Imagine if someone else fell on top of a child. That would be even more pressure, and more chance  of an injury. My point is that Justin's story is not at all suspicious if that's what you have to go on.

5. Lastly, and most importantly, the police have unequivocally said that this was an accidental fall, and even gave the public insight as to how the decision to classify it that way was made (extensive interviews). The police have said the 3 in that house have not told all that they know. Most of us believe that, without a second thought. We don't say, "hey how did police make that determination?" It is not questioned, because it is what people want to hear. Law enforcement could tell us exactly how they know the 3 are not being honest (e.g. failed polygraphs, inconsistent statements, cell phone pings, etc). They have not offered that information, and most people don't ask for it.

You cannot pick and choose what statements you believe, or else, you too are guilty of being biased or one-sided.