Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, 2000, Page 10
Table 3
Perinatal fatalities associated with religion-motivated medical neglect
Diagnoses N Comments Expected
Outcome
Fetal Demise:
Preterm 3 26-.32-,34-wk gestations Good
Term 6 Large infants, some post term Excellent
Hydrops fatalis 1 Blood group incompatibility Excellent
Preterm infants (All over 30 weeks, unless noted)
Apnea, respiratory
arrest 1 Excellent
Asphyxia 1 Nuchal cord, breech Excellent
Intraventricular
Hemorrhage 1 34-week gestations Good
Prematurity, Severe 1 600 g, 1 month maternal bleed Good
Respiratory distress
syndrome 5 30-to 34-week gestations Excellent
Respiratory failure,
unspecified 3 Several lived more than a Excellent
day at home
Septicemia, strep 1 Excellent
Traumatic delivery 1 Subarachnoid hemorrhage Excellent
Term Infants
Anencephaly,
myelomeningocoele 1 No benefit
Asphyxia
Nonspecified 5 Several failed unskilled Excellent
Resuscitations
Breech 6 Excellent
Maternal shock 1 Excellent
Nuchal cord 2 Excellent
Prolonged labor 6 From 2 to 4 days Excellent
Uncleared
secretions 2 Excellent
Birth trauma 5 Internal, external head injuries Excellent
Hemorrhagic disease 1 Pulmonary hemorrhage, Excellent
of newborn Lived 4 days
Hypothermia, shock 1 Excellent
Meconium aspiration 2 Excellent
Respiratory failure 3 Excellent
Total 59
Other Findings
A total of 23 denominations from 34 states were represented in this study. Five groups
accounted for 83% of the total fatalities (Table 4). Several states had totals
disproportionate to population. There were 50 from Indiana, home of the Faith Assembly.
Pennsylvania had 16 fatalities, including 14 from the Faith Tabernacle. The Church of the
First Born accounted for the majority of 15 deaths in neighboring Oklahoma and Colorado.

Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, 2000, Page 11
In South Dakota there were 5 deaths from the End Time Ministries. Nationwide, the
Christian Science church had 28 deaths in the study.
Table 4
Religious groups with core beliefs of medical care avoidance
Organization Name Deaths
Church of the First Born 23
End Time Ministries 12
Faith Assembly 64
Faith Tabernacle 16
First Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science) 28
Other denominations (N=18), or unaffiliated 29
Total 172
Contacts with public agencies and mandated reporters of suspected child neglect were not
unusual among the children. Believing they were powerless in the face of the parents‘
wishes, some teachers ignored obvious symptoms and sent lessons home to bedridden
children. Some social workers and law enforcement officers allowed parents to decline
examinations of children reported to be ill. Public officials did not investigate the deaths of
some children.
One teenager asked teachers for help getting medical care for fainting spells, which she had
been refused at home. She ran away from home, but law enforcement returned her to the
custody of her father. She died 3 days later from a ruptured appendix.
A premature girl was delivered successfully at a hospital after her twin brother dies during a
home birth. Her mild respiratory distress syndrome resolved after 4 days of oxygen and
other minimally invasive support. She then developed progressively severe apneic spells.
The medical staff acquiesced to the parents‘ request not to transfer the child to a higher
level unit, despite an expected good prognosis. She died 2 days later when she could not
be resuscitated after a respiratory arrest.
Discussion
Calculations of overall incidence and mortality rates are not possible in this study as the
number of children in the groups sampled is not available and the cases were collected in a
nonrigorous manner. However, we think that the comparison with outcomes expected in
ordinary medical settings is a valid indicator that death and/or suffering were preventable in
virtually all of these children. These fatalities were not from esoteric entities but ordinary
ailments seen and treated routinely in community medical centers. Deaths from
dehydration, appendicitis, labor complications, antibiotic-sensitive bacterial infections,
vaccine-preventable disorders, or hemorrhagic disease of the newborn have a very low
frequency in the United States.
We suspect that many more fatalities have occurred during the study period than the cases
reported here. Deaths of children in faith-healing sects are often recorded as attributable to
natural causes and the contribution of neglect minimized or not investigated. During the
course of requesting documents for this study, we were told of deaths of children because of
religion-motivated medical neglect that were not previously known to us from public
records, newspapers, or other sources.