When 'Charity' in Haiti Kills Children

It's gotten even worse. Okay, we knew that the case of the misguided 10 Baptist missionaries was a sideshow with the maddening ability to vacuum up an excessive number of media hits. But now, it turns out, the case has become something of a main event in its own right -- in fact, it's literally killing children.

That's right. Since the missionaries were arrested last month, the misbegotten travails of ringleader Laura Silsby & co. have had a chilling effect on doctors, aid workers and government officials (you know, the people who have a legitimate mission in helping Haiti with the recovery process) trying to save the lives of critically injured Haitian kids.

Now, the New York Times is reporting that 10 children have died or become worse while waiting for authorization from newly skittish authorities to get on flights out of the country for treatment.

Prior to the Americans' arrest, every day, an average of 15 injured Haitian children were getting airlifted out of Haiti onto U.S.-bound flights. Since Silsby & co. bobbed onto the scene, though, only three children have been evacuated for treatment in the U.S. on private flights. Something about the sight of Americans getting tossed into jail for taking kids out of the country without the proper paperwork has effectively discouraged others from putting kids aboard planes.

"Everything has slowed down, and most pilots are backing out of these medical missions with kids," says Scott Dorfman, an Atlanta pilot. Dorman has hopes of piloting a critically injured Haitian baby to a U.S. hospital this week. Still, though, he says he won't take off until he's obtained the proper paperwork -- which, in a post-disaster zone, is a pretty daunting hurdle to meet.

Then there's the case of the badly maimed, three-month-old Landina Seignon, who the British surgeon tending her says could die in under a week unless she's airlifted out for care. Haitian authorities, though, have so far denied permission for Landina to leave the country, as her parents have not been located.

Plenty has been written about how the missionaries' work in Haiti was no act of charity, and these latest developments make that case far more indicting. No, indeed. However intentioned, their effect has been much, much more sinister than that.

Photo Credit: US_Air_Force