Starving Twins

Re “Twin Girls Cling to Life as Mother Faces New Charges,” Sept. 18: Tanya Kaye Walker was able to breed and birth five children, but was unable to feed the twins because she was single, unemployed and Fresno County had stopped her government assistance.

Birth control and abortions are free through nonprofit agencies. If Walker had chosen these options, society would not have to deal with her child abuse and the costly government expense of feeding and sheltering five poor, innocent human beings. Conceiving, birthing and caring for children are the responsibility of the two consenting human beings who produce them, not government.

CHRISTINE MILLS O’BRIEN

Los Angeles

A mother was arrested for neglecting (starving) her twin 5-year-olds. It was reported that they had special feeding needs, due to cerebral palsy. My first reaction was, “My God, how could she have done that?” But then I realized how close I came to being her.

My own daughter weighed only 19 pounds last year; she just turned 9. She has brain damage from immunization. When she began not to eat, crying, not sleeping, running fevers, all of this was written off as being caused by her brain damage. The doctors that had been her primary caregivers for over eight years told me to take her home and wait for her to die.

I didn’t believe them and reached out to another doctor who put a feeding tube into her stomach. It bypassed an inflamed esophagus (which had been the problem) and now she weighs 31 pounds and gaining.

I pray this woman gets some help, and wonder where were family, friends and the father, and did she have access to medical care for the twins. Someone must have known.

MARTY JO CACERES-OLSON

Torrance

When child-care experts predict that 1 million extra kids will fall into poverty because of so-called welfare reform, then we can only expect more horror and suffering, as seen by the 5-year-old twins in Fresno.

After we hold the caregiver criminally responsible, can we look ourselves in the mirror, knowing that our society approved of such measures that allowed this to happen?

In addition to the unspeakable suffering that children will endure, society will also be paying more for their long-term medical care, institutional care and societal investment. Not a proud day to be an American.

SUSAN PERLSON

Brea