[Prudence]

I'm much more concerned about a case local to my area. It hit the airwaves with a blast - Amber alerts everywhere you look, all pleading for the location of a baby boy who was desperately ill and kidnapped by his mother right before his scheduled life-saving surgery.

And then the "truth" trickled out.

Still not sure of the whole story, but after a day or so the authorities and hospital confessed that the boy wasn't actually about to die. Sick and vulnerable, but not the "going to die by morning if he doesn't get the surgery" that was broadcast the night before.

And the kidnapping? Yes, the mom took him from the hospital without permission after the baby had been made a ward of the state. So, she'll have to pay the penalty on that one.

However, why was the baby made a ward of the state? Because the parents wanted a consultation from a naturopath. Not that they had decided on an alternative wacko treatment in a backroads clinic out of the country, but because before going through with the surgery they wanted to see if there were any other viable options. My understanding from subsequent newspaper articles is that the baby has some kidney malfunctions, and the surgery (to prepare him for dialysis) is a form of treatment, but not a cure and with significant risks of its own. The hospital had promised an appointment with a naturopath on several occasions, but had cancelled them all, and the surgery was that morning.

Public sentiment shifted palpably over the several days this was in the news.

Oh, and as of this morning's drive-time news, she's finally allowed to see her child whenever she wants (as opposed to very limited, scheduled visits), but only if the father is there. She can't live with them.