Yet another depressing post from me this morning, but what are you gonna do?

Tuesday afternoon an Oregon jury found Timothy and Rebecca Wyland guilty of criminal mistreatment for denying medical care to their baby daughter, Alayna. The couple now faces up to five years in prison.

The jury deliberated a little over an hour, and was unanimous in their verdict.

Authorities filed charges against the Wylands after an abnormal and deforming buildup of blood vessels in the child’s left eye was left untreated. The buildup, known as a hemangioma, would have left Alayna blind in the left eye if untreated.

While the Wylands prayed over Alayna, anointed her with oil and used other spiritual rituals endorsed by their church, they failed to seek medical attention for their daughter’s obvious ailment. From January to June of 2010 the couple did nothing while their daughter’s condition deteriorated.

The Wyland’s are members of the Followers of Christ Church located in Oregon City. The church is notorious for prohibiting members from seeking medical attention, favoring prayer over medical treatment. The consequences of church doctrine have been tragic: the preventable deaths of numerous children.

Defense attorneys for the parents tried to argue the couple was the victim of religious persecution - an argument the jury was definitely not buying.

Good for this jury, obviously. This is appalling and reckless stupidity. People this dumb and superstitious should not be allowed to procreate.

Other children of families belonging to the Followers of Christ Church, the church the Wylands attend, have died. The Wylands were the third couple in 24 months to be prosecuted for failing to provide medial treatment for their children.

Last months’s legislation in the Oregon state Senate ending legal protection for parents who practice religious faith healing was directly due to the cases related to the Followers of Christ Church.

Oregon jury convicts faith healing parents (Portland Humanist)