[Zythryn]

I am not sure if this should go in another forum, please feel free to move it.
I also apologize for any ranting, however I really need to get this out as this sort of thing always crushes me when I hear of it.

Why?!?
Why do people allow their children to die when it is soooo easy to prevent?
The source of my angst is this story: Parents' Prayers Could Not Save Daughter, Investigation Launched Into 11-Year-Old's Death From Treatable Diabetic Condition - CBS News

A young girl dies from ketoacidosis. She was diabetic, aparently was not taking insulin, and died from high blood sugar.

Part of the reason this hits me so hard is I have been diabetic since I was 14 months old. I thank god (ironic isn't it) that my parents had the sense to take advantage of modern medicine to allow me to live.
I know how awful high blood sugar feels and I am pretty sure I have a good idea of how this poor girl felt in the last few days of her life.

WHY do these type of people DO this!
Do they refuse to eat because God will take care of their nutrition?

Sorry, I'll come back when I am a little more composed:'(

[InfiniteNow]

I share your frustration and confusion. Did god not also put the medication in place to help her?

It's so myopic, so ignorant, and yet so very common.

I too feel bad for how grossly sick that girl must have felt, as it's an awful feeling her ensheepened parents forced upon her before her suffering was ultimately ended for her.

[UncleAl]

The best way to remove the stupid is to allow them to live by their own hands without interference. Think of it as evolution in action. Compassion is an evolutionarily stupid act committed at others' expense. Do not administer medicine to the dead.

[REASON]

I too share your sadness over such an ignorant and avoidable loss.

This type of faith is foolishness. These people have obviously become delusional and are now criminals in my estimation.

The parents should be charged with negligent homicide, and the remaining children should be placed with other family members for their safety.

[Zythryn]

Originally Posted by UncleAl

The best way to remove the stupid is to allow them to live by their own hands without interference.

I agree with this, when the person is making decisions for themself. However, when the decisions are made for another person, and that person dies through no fault of their own, I weep.

I think the person responsible for this decision should donate their islet cells (insulin producers). See if they are willing to go to a doctor for their own good. (ok, just kidding but Grrrrrrr it just burns me up).

[Southtown]

I hope at least that the parents have their answer. And I hope that they hurt as much as I would were I to lose one of my children, with the addition of guilt, of course.

[CraigD]

As best I can tell, the small minority of people who refuse medical treatment for religious reasons do so mostly for one or more of the following reasons:

• The belief that reliance on medicine rather than the will, and possibly intervention, of God, is sinful
• The belief that many of the physical acts performed in the course of modern medicine – especially the transfusion of blood or the injection of drugs – is an “unclean” violation of God-given law.
• The belief in a life after death preferable to mundane life. Assuming this world view, death is not to be avoided, but welcome.

I’ve not read or heard any account in the news concerning the specifics of the Neumanns’ motives in not treating their 11-year old daughter’s diabetes in a medically appropriate way, leading to her death, but suspect it’s one or more of the above. I also suspect that they were poorly educated, and may not have adequately comprehended the severity of their daughter’s condition.

Due, I suspect, to the emotionally volatile nature of the death of children, this story appears to have induced a witch-hunt mentality in much of the public. I’ve read viewer and reader comments suggesting that an appropriate punishment for Madeline Neumann’s parents is their painful execution via induced ketoacidosis. Although I personally disapprove of the Neumanns’ actions and/or inactions, and personally reject the supernatural worldviews that may have contributed to them, I’m troubled by the attitudes of those who summarily condemn them, their implied rejection of the idea that adherence to profoundly held beliefs should always be secondary to survival, and implied acceptance of the idea that the community and state’s authority exceed that of parents, and of individuals, even ones as young as 11 years old.

[REASON]

Originally Posted by CraigD

Due, I suspect, to the emotionally volatile nature of the death of children, this story appears to have induced a witch-hunt mentality in much of the public. I’ve read viewer and reader comments suggesting that an appropriate punishment for Madeline Neumann’s parents is their painful execution via induced ketoacidosis. Although I personally disapprove of the Neumanns’ actions and/or inactions, and personally reject the supernatural worldviews that may have contributed to them, I’m troubled by the attitudes of those who summarily condemn them, their implied rejection of the idea that adherence to profoundly held beliefs should always be secondary to survival, and implied acceptance of the idea that the community and state’s authority exceed that of parents, and of individuals, even ones as young as 11 years old.

I think you make some excellent points as usual Craig, but this may be a matter of the law. It would be inappropriate not to conduct a proper inquery into the circumstances, which I'm sure you're not advocating. And while I agree that it is wrong to pre-judge the situation, there appears to me to be enough information to warrant a charge if this qualifies as negligent homicide in their state.

If it does, that's what I'd like to see. I don't think that includes me in a "witch-hunt." If they are found not guilty, than so be it. Such is the nature of our system of justice.

[Mike C]

My opinion

Yes, this is a sad case. Religion in itself is not a solution because people are prone to rely on their own beliefs.

However, my religious views here are that a Naturopathic physician would have cured the girl by 'natural' means. This is also a religious view because these NP's use Natural (GODS) substances to cure diseases and could have done so with this child.

In an emergency like this, they would have administered the insulin, but in the long run, they would have cured her diabetes with natural sunbstances.
There are natural medicines that can stabilize the blood sugars and dietary corrections can also do this.

Consuming these sugary foods and excessive simple carbohydrates are generally the cause of the diabetes.

Mike C

.

[InfiniteNow]

Originally Posted by Mike C

Consuming these sugary foods and excessive simple carbohydrates are generally the cause of the diabetes.

Your level of ignorance is very disheartening. It appears you have zero idea of the difference between type I and type II diabetes.

Tell me, why did I go into a coma when I was ten? It sure wasn't because of excessive sugary and carbohydrate rich foods, nor could you consider my (at the time) 80 pound body overweight... and it was not behaviorally induced for this poor girl who died, either.


Zythryn, it's just ignorance in this country, not religious belief itself. While religion feeds off of ignorance, it's the ignorance itself we must seek to ameliorate.