Parents choose faith over science
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In what is perhaps the most heated of debates about our children, our beliefs and our medicine, a girl has died after her parents chose prayer over doctors. The girl suffered from a rare form of diabetes.
Madeline Kara Neumann, 11, of Wisconsin, suffered from diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that caused her to have too little insulin in her system. Her mother, Leilani, believes in the Bible and the healing powers of God, and so turned to her faith to battle her daughter's sickness.
Madeline's mother maintains the girl was healthy until several weeks ago, and that she looked like she would recover. Her father, Dale Neumann, started CPR when his daughter stopped breathing. Unfortunately, he was unable to revive her.
According to the police chief, given the girl's condition, she probably suffered nausea, vomiting, thirst, loss of appetite and weakness before she passed away. Other family members contacted authorities to try to get help for the girl, commenting that her parents were religious and refused to seek medical attention for her at a hospital.
It may seem like the obvious thing to blame the parents for not taking their daughter to a doctor, but I think that's the easy way out. I am not a religious person, I freely admit, so it is impossible for me to comment on whether or not I think the parents in this case did the right thing. it seems these people felt like they were doing the right thing--they were not intending to harm their daughter.
Still, when I think she might have suffered before her death it makes it hard for me to feel for the parents. I also admit freely I trust in doctors and Western medicine. I do homeopathic whenever possible and veer toward the Eastern medicines a lot of the time, but if my child were sick I would take him to the doctor asap.
That doesn't make me right--that's just what I would do. Ultimately, I am terribly sorry this family had to lose a child. Regardless of whether or not we agree with the steps Madeline's parents did or did not take, I am sure they are grieving terribly for the loss of their youngest.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Eva 3-27-2008 @ 9:03PM
The parents' fatal medical neglect is against the law and I hope they are charged.
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Mel 3-27-2008 @ 10:19PM
In what way is it against the law? A vague "child endangerment" claim will not suffice; Supreme Court cases have consistently ruled that such parental latitude is NOT against the law.
ashley 3-27-2008 @ 9:39PM
It's a tragedy that such a backwards approach to health can possibly exist in our country. This loss of life due to ignorant neglect saddens and disturbs me.
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Summer 3-27-2008 @ 9:43PM
People like this give Christians a bad name... I am completely incensed by this horrific (and completely avoidable) tragedy. I don't understand why the other children haven't been removed from the home???
I am just sick over this.
=(
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SKL 3-27-2008 @ 10:55PM
This is sad no matter which "side" you are on, but I'd love to see a study showing whether kids in homes where faith is given more importance than medicine are, on average, healthier / less healthy and are, on average, more or less likely to die in infancy or childhood.
It would not surprise me if the study ended up favoring the group that doesn't resort immediately to medicine and, as a result, occasionally suffers a highly publicized tragedy.
Certainly I have observed many childhood illnesses and tragedies in families who neglect their kids' health in various ways but happily give them medicine when their poor parenting results in preventable health problems. Such events rarely make the news.
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eugene 3-28-2008 @ 1:04AM
I have a "study" for you. Life expectancy and quality of life have steadily increased with the advent of TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICAL SCIENCE. People two hundred years ago had a pristine environment and plenty of faith, organic foods and constant excercise. Didn't make up for the lack of medicine.
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Summer 3-28-2008 @ 1:22AM
I'm with Eugene.
Seriously, SKL, if you are Christian-Scientist, why don't you come out and say so?
This is not a case of parents "not rushing for rash medical treatment;" this is Type I diabetes we are talking about!
And the girl was apparently dying for a MONTH before she actually died from it. At some point, the so-called "well-meaning parents" should have realized THEIR plan of action was not working and sought medical attention.
Give me a break.
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Windy Kahler 3-28-2008 @ 1:56AM
I don't believe it said anywhere in the article that they were Christians. There are other religions.
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SKL 3-28-2008 @ 2:56AM
Actually, the main cause of the low life expectancy in the "old days" was filth and unsanitary practices. Women who gave birth in hospitals were more likely to die of sepsis than those who gave birth with no medical assistance at home. Once somebody figured that out, life expectancy improved. But it's still not as high as that of populations of comparable economic wealth in countries that prioritize a wholesome lifestyle over a medicinal approach to every ailment.
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Sherry 3-28-2008 @ 3:35AM
I find it interesting that parents like these never stop to consider that the advances in medicine and treatments available might actually be God's answer to their prayers.
SKL, I get the point you are trying to make, but this is not a condition that is treatable by a change to a wholesome lifestyle. I would be interesting in knowing which countries of "comparable economic wealth" and "wholesome lifestyle over a medicinal approach to every ailment" you are thinking about.
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eugene 3-28-2008 @ 4:21AM
SKL is just making things up. The top 10 countries in terms of life expectancy are all industrilized societies.
Obviously a healthy lifestyle can only help, but that's not the point is it? The point is, these parents chose religion and faith over science and medicine and their daughter died for it.
I'm perfectly fine if individuals want to put their own lives on the line in the name of their god or whatever, but choosing to test their faith with the life of their daughter? That's criminal.
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ninainindia 3-28-2008 @ 6:41AM
I do agree that in some countries people run to the doctor for every cold and take medicine for everything. Which is unhealthy in my opinion. We don't go the doctor for the flu, a cold, a stomach ache etc.
I took my first antibiotics when I was well into my twenties and have not taken any since. So I do agree that people turn to medicine too easily.
However in this case that does not play a role! These people consciously denied their daughter treatment for a known and treatable disease. They killed their child by withholding treatment and should be punished just like any other parent that kills their child by neglect.
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Heather 3-28-2008 @ 8:03AM
Why debate about religion? I don't think a thread on parentdish could change anyones mind. Bottom line -these parents are idiots. God helps those who help themselves. The insulin was there- should have used it! This is just senseless.
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isisaquaria 3-28-2008 @ 9:51AM
You said what I was gonna say--God helps those...., I am a Wiccan, but my FIL is a baptist minister-and while we do not always agree, on this we unite. Prayer to any god or goddess is moot w/o action by ones self. These parents should be punished for allowing this child to suffer and die. Prayers alone will not work if you do nothing. There are so many things out there that would have aided this girl in addition.
RobMonroe 3-28-2008 @ 7:48AM
Let me start by saying that I would not have chosen the path that they did. I am one of the over-reactive ones that called the doctor when babys first tooth was not in the right place. I have such health issues that I am prone to call a doctor first.
That being said, I can understand their choice. Yes, their daughter paid the price for it, and that is sad. The reality is that every day there are children that DO get medical treatment and die. Do we fault them for not having more faith? No. These parents made a choice that they thought was in the best interest of their family. There is no way to know if medicine would have worked. Yes, it typically would, but typically does not mean 100%.
When someone looses a child we mourn for them and with them. That is what we should be doing with and for this family.
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lisa 3-30-2008 @ 7:42PM
Your absolutely right... They believed they were making the best decision for their daughter. We should be mourning with them.
You have to know this family...They are very caring loving people who, I know, deep down in their heart of hearts, believed that Kara would be healed, it was "Real Faith", not just hope. No one has the right to Judge these for that, Only God can be the Judge. We all make mistakes in our decision making when it comes to our children, most of the time its not life threatening, but sometimes it can be... Allowing a child to go on a field trip, or go to a school function, and then an accident happens, we look back and say "I knew I shouldn't let them go", you see, hind sight is a lesson learned, unfortunately sometimes tragic.
I pray for Leilani & Dale, they are true "Christians", that took "faith" to the next level, the level that most of us wouldn't have the gutts to go to. Now they need healing themselves, along with the rest of the family. I can guarantee this family is in termoil and need our support, not our critism & judgment.
Carolyn 3-28-2008 @ 9:05AM
A correction to the blog entry is needed. Diabetic ketoacidosis is not a rare form of diabetes. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a complication of untreated diabetes, primarily insulin-dependent diabetes (type 1).
Basically, with no insulin to process carbohydrates, the body's energy source, the body starts to consume muscle as energy. DKA is a medical emergency.
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Serena 3-28-2008 @ 9:42AM
Summer...you write *Christian Scientist* as if it's a dirty word. Whether you want to awknowledge it or not, there is much to be said for the healing powers of belief.
How many people die each year from Medical Mistakes? How many seemingly healthy people go in to hospitals for routine tests and end up seriously ill? Shall we charge the doctors for doing what the *believed* to be right?
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Michele 3-28-2008 @ 10:16AM
I feel terribly for this little girl and how misguided her parents are but let me assure you NO bible believing Christian would choose to not care for a sick child.
There is something seriously wrong with these parents and if they are indeed following the word of God then they need to read and study the Bible.
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isisaquaria 3-28-2008 @ 11:45AM
It didn't say Christians persay. However, I am aware of groups of faiths based in the same tenets but they tend to twist it for the purpose they wish it to serve. Which is true here seems to be the latter, but I have found nothing with enough detail to give it as fact. I am curious to see--
It happens ever so often in the news, but it happens daily in some places and is never reported-sadly there are people who take faiths to extreme for reasons that become almost anti-faith. I hate to see anyone use any faith to harm another...innocent or not.