Oh, and for those of you who think they didn’t know she was sick…
They called their church the night before
Sphere: Related ContentOn the night before 11-year-old Madeline Kara Neumann died of complications from untreated diabetes, her parents did not call a doctor. Instead, Dale and Leilani Neumann prayed over the telephone Saturday with the founder of a religious Web site named americaslastdays.com
So lets make sure the record is straight. She was very sick. The parents knew she was. Experts say she’d probably been getting sicker and sicker for a month.
The parents knew it was bad.
So they prayed instead of getting her medical attention.
Criminal.
Child abuse.
Schitzophrenia.
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5 Comments:
This is certainly tragic. Don’t forget this quite relevant quote from the article you’ve referenced here:
timjamz
1:27 pm
while it IS true that, i my child is sick and I take her to the doctor and she dies, yes, I will not be found criminally liable.
However, the doctor in question certainly might be.
Or he might get sued for a gazillion dollars.
Or he might lose his license.
There are two differences…
1. Doctors are human and make mistakes. And, unlike the parents here, the doctors are, in theory, doing everything they can to help the patient.
2. If god is interested in coming down and taking responsibility for this situation, then maybe the two are comparable.
3. Unlike the doctor in #1, the parents DIDN’T do everything they could for the girl. Had they taken the girl to the doctor and then prayed, great. But they didn’t.
We are flesh and blood and mortal. We have limitations. Sometimes we do everything we possibly can and still fail. Sometimes we make mistakes, and when they are due to our own carelessness or laziness or what-have-you, then we are punished, if needs be. SOmetimes we make mistakes because we aren’t perfect. Sometimes, in a situation, with everything you know, there is no clear choice between A and B. You pick one and you hope.
I don’t really believe you don’t see the distinction here
moleboy
1:38 pm
moleboy, what about when the doctor even does everything in his power, to the best of his ability and knowledge, and still fails to save the patient? why does our culture still allow him to be sued?
you’ll notice the media coverage of this case is dying down, because it seems to be that this really was just a tragic accident. no one knew the girl had diabetes.
you might also notice that ABC news has picked up a new case that fits their agenda. now they’re highlighting another couple in Oregon that is even more religious, and more prone to successful prosecution.
as to why you don’t see some ethereal, white-bearded, flowing-robed entity floating down from the sky to resolve peoples’ problems: i would guess you may have a flawed understanding of what God is. taking the name of your site into account, i’m kind of surprised by this.
also, yes. i do see the distinction you are making. if a parent knowingly refuses to seek medical attention for their child when they realize the consequence of their in/action is harm to the child… that is willful negligence equating to abuse. i wouldn’t do that to my own child, either.
timjamz
7:35 pm
You misunderstand how lawsuits happen and why. The idea behind this kind of civil suit is to determin if the doctor actually did do everything in his power to the best of his ability and knowledge. The reason it seems otherwise is because so many lawyers take advantage of people who want to blame someone, who are hurt and angry. So they go after the doctors and, more importantly, their malpractice insurance providers. Often, because it is cheaper, the insurance company will settle, regardless of whether or not the doctor is at fault.
As far as god coming down to take responsibility, I wasn’t being literal, obviously, but using that to illustrate the distinction between events.
If there IS a god, which seems unlikely to say the least, it is even less likely to be anthropomorphic.
moleboy
7:49 am
By the way, has it not occured to you that ABC news might be picking up these stories not in some pogrom against religion but in an attempt to show crimes like child abuse?
Its pretty amazing…would you feel this way if, say, these parents were claiming psychic powers?
Magic?
Or simply a feeling that the entire universe is pre-determined and therefor why bother?
Would we even be having this conversation if the words ‘god’ or ‘faith’ weren’t part of the story?
moleboy
7:53 am