On Thursday last week, a South Carolina jury convicted Stephanie Greene, a 39-year old nurse, of killing her six-week-old daughter by administering a morphine overdose in her breast milk. Greene was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter and unlawful conduct toward a child (implying negligence), though the concept of “negligent breastfeeding” is difficult to grasp.
Either a massive dose, 50-100 tablets of the type of morphine prescribed for the mother, was administered orally to the baby, or a genetic defect prevented the baby from metabolising the tiny amounts of morphine transmitted by breast milk.
The first alternative is absurd, so the only plausible explanation is a genetic defect, a possibility that is increasingly recognised within the forensic community, if not the community located in South Carolina.
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Read the full, original story: Manslaughter conviction for ‘negligent breastfeeding’ puts other mums at risk
