I am getting sicker by the minute, after reading a story of horrific abuse of power by the medical establishment that broke early this morning.
Tragedy has stricken a newborn infant, being held in the hospital affiliated with the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota. A court ordered that Rico Martinez Nagel be removed from his mother’s breast by a Sheriff, and he is now being force fed and given several drugs, including the notoriously toxic AZT (aka zidovudine), despite being apparently healthy in every respect, other than a positive HIV-antibody test result.
I won’t repeat the entire story here. Celia Farber narrates the Nagel family’s history and account of what happened immediately following the birth of Lindsey’s son, Rico. My sole addition to this story is that the Mayo Clinic also tried to prescribe AZT to me nearly a year ago. I was dumbfounded then, but as an adult I was free to tell them where to shove their prescription. Rico, on the other hand, has been denied the protective custody of his parents and grandparents, whose own story about surviving AZT poisoning is sufficient grounds for questioning what is truly in Nico’s best interests.
I do have some concerns that Farber’s spin on this story as a “vendetta”* will affect how it is received by a public that has been immunized against questioning if HIV is the sole and sufficient cause of AIDS, or whether drugs like AZT can be protective, or save lives. As a victim of attacks by so-called “AIDS truthers” herself, Farber is incapable of being an impartial reporter of this story. Nor should she apologize for that. To assert that the doctors and child protective service employees are acting out some sort of intentional retribution against the Nagels by murdering Rico, however, is likely to make some people simply tune out. It is just as plausible that these people with authority believe they are doing the right thing. The real question is when does the power of public authorities trump the rights of the parent? Who will really be responsible for whether or not Nico survives?
Despite these misgivings, I am sharing this story, in the hopes that every click will help move Rico’s story up in the public’s consciousness, and that a major media outlet will consider doing the kind of in-depth investigative reporting that it deserves. There is little doubt in my mind that nothing short of a miracle will allow Rico to survive the kind of “medical intervention” that is literally and figuratively being shoved down his throat and into his veins.
There is also a blog named Save Rico, which appears to be publishing updated information. Below is Steve Nagel’s video appeal for greater media attention.
*Note: The article, originally titled “The Vendetta: The Kidnapping and Torture of Rico Martinez Nagel”, was renamed after this post was written. It is now titled “War on Life: The Kidnapping And Torture of Rico Martinez Nagel”.
5 Responses to “Save Rico”
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Im heartbroken. When does the power of the state trump
the authority of the individual? NEVER. Only in cases of abuse or
criminality. This case is neither. I feel so badly for everyone
involved. Im curious why she didnt use a midwife or have the baby outside of a hospital setting?
We used the midwives at Mayo Clinic. NEVER was HIV mentioned after our first visit.
I remember last year when you said the Mayo clinic tried to prescribe you AZT. And now this. I’d be so furious if i were the parents. Wtf ever.
I am so horrified about this I am physically ill. I feel nauseated just reading this. I was going to click away, to make it go away, then I thought about it and had a good cry. Certainly if Rico and Lindsay can live through this, I can take a moment to feel their pain and lend some emotional support.
Dear God, please show some mercy and help this family! This is beyond comprehension, corporate policy gone rogue, where is the common sense? — something is really really wrong here.
Lindsay I urge you to contact an attorney to get some advice and possible help ASAP. You can get a free consultation and possibly take the case on a contingency basis — no money up front. You never know unless you try.
Jon, did you hear the “good news”?
Well, it’s not ALL good news — the bad news is that Rico was rushed to the ER with a case of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which as we both know is ARV-related and potentially fatal.
But the good news is that his doctors have ordered the cessation of AIDS drugs, at least for the meantime. The family will no longer be compelled to give him drugs that they know are toxic, at least until such time as the doctors decide to put him on them again. But this buys them more time to push through their appeal with the courts, and evidence to use in that appeal to show that these drugs not only nearly killed his mother in infancy, but they came even closer to killing little Rico himself.