Photo: Getty Images
A Texas couple is demanding Child Protective Services return their newborn daughter after she was "unlawfully taken" due to a “dispute over the proper treatment for jaundice," per WFAA.
Temecia and Rodney Jackson of Desoto, Texas welcomed daughter Mila Jackson in a home birth with a licensed midwife on March 21.
Days after her birth, Jackson took their newborn for a standard checkup with a pediatrician who reassured the couple that the child was healthy. But things took a turn later that day when Dr. Anand Bhatt, called to inform them that their daughter had “dangerously high levels of bilirubin,” which is a “yellowish substance made during the body’s normal process of breaking down old red blood cells," per WFAA.
Dr. Bhatt said Mila's bilirubin level was at 21.7, noting that “a bilirubin over 20” puts infants at risk of brain damage. The doctor suggested that the infant be treated at the hospital with phototherapy, a standard treatment for jaundice. In response, the Jacksons said they would treat their infant with at-home phototherapy with the assistance of their midwife.
According to Temecia Jackson, Dr. Bhatt began to aggressively express his concerns that the couple wouldn't have the "correct lights" to treat their newborn.
“Several hours later into the night, [Dr. Bhatt] texts my phone very aggressive — take her to the hospital or he’s calling CPS.”
Dr. Bhatt ultimately filed a report with CPS.
“I filed a case report with CPS after trying 10 attempts to appeal to the family through phone calls, text messages, and leaving voicemails as they did not pick up the phone," the doctor wrote in his letter to CPS. "Parents are very loving and they care dearly about their baby. Their distrust for medical care and guidance has led them to make a decision for the baby to refuse a simple treatment that can prevent brain damage. I authorized the support of CPS to help get this baby the care that was medically necessary and needed.”
Days later, DeSoto police officers removed Mila from the couple's home.
In a statement, CPS said it was "necessary" for the department to intervene "due to the parents being unwilling to discuss the danger and potential consequences of this condition"
However, the Jacksons allege that their daughter was "unlawfully" taken by authorities.
“Unlawfully, [they] entered my home to take my baby from me,” the couple said.
According to the couple, the CPS court affidavit also falsely identified Mila's mother as a woman “with a completely different name and with a criminal history of child neglect.”
“Instantly, I felt like they had stolen my baby as I had had a home birth, and they were trying to say my baby belonged to this other woman," Temecia Jackson said.
A CPS spokesperson was “unable to explain why a different woman with a criminal history” was named on the court affidavit, per WFAA.
According to reports, Mila is under the care of a foster family. The couple is expected to go to court on April 20.
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