What’s God Got To Do With It?

Anyone else out there a little upset to hear the verdict that just came down for Dale and Leilani Neumann, the Wisconsin couple whose 11-year-old daughter died before their eyes from untreated Type 1 diabetes because they refused to take her to the doctor? I remember hearing about this case a while back and being horrified — instead of seeking medical treatment for their daughter Madeline, who was presenting with classic symptoms of Type 1, they tried to cure her through prayer. It was a nice gesture, but unfortunately, Jesus and the Islets of Langerhans aren’t particularly close, and so the girl continued to waste away before their eyes. Eventually she died on her family’s kitchen floor, surrounded by people praying. It was only after she stopped breathing that someone decided to call 911.

You can read more details in this piece from the AP — but the basic gist is that the parents were convicted of second-degree reckless homicide earlier this year, and could have received 25 years in jail. Instead they got 6 months in jail and 10 years probation.

I suppose it might be pointless to spend tax dollars on incarcerating people who, in all likelihood, are probably not going to end up with another child with a chronic disease that they allow to die. (Thankfully, the terms of the probation also require them to allow a public health nurse to examine their other children at least once every three months.) But I’m still disturbed by the judge’s slap-on-the-wrist approach — not to mention the fact that in America, in 2009, there are still a considerable number of people out there who sympathize with the parents. As an agnostic, I try to stay neutral about other people’s religious beliefs. But I think it’s very scary to suggest that people’s right to prayer is anywhere near close to their daughter’s right to see a doctor. And it’s also very disturbing, as the Assistant District Attorney pointed out, that the parents never said they were sorry for what happened. “They allowed Kara [the girl’s nickname] to die because they got themselves too caught up in the misguided belief that they were being tested by God,” he told the AP.

That certainly seems true, given this statement from Madeline’s mother:

“‘I do not regret trusting truly in the Lord for my daughter’s health,’ she said. ‘Did we know she had a fatal illness? No. Did we act to the best of our knowledge? Yes.'”

See, but that’s the reason most people choose to see a doctor for their sick children: because there are times where the “best of your knowledge” just isn’t enough.

Catherine Price

Catherine Price (www.catherine-price.com) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. She has written for publications including The Best American Science Catherine Price is a professional journalist who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. Her work has been featured in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, Popular Science, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, Men’s Journal, Health Magazine, The Oprah Magazine, and Outside, among others. A graduate of Yale and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism

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Catherine Price

Catherine Price was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. She has written for publications including The Best American Science Catherine Price is a professional journalist who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 22 years old. Her work has been featured in publications including The Best American Science Writing, The New York Times, Popular Science, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post Magazine, Salon, Slate, Men’s Journal, Health Magazine, The Oprah Magazine, and Outside, among others. A graduate of Yale and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism