Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, 2000, Page 7
Childhood Fatalities
The diagnoses of 113 children who died after their neonatal period are summarized in Table
2. Of the 98 children who did not have cancer, 92 would have had an excellent prognosis
with commonly available medical and surgical care and 4 would have had a good outcome.
Only 2 would not have clearly benefited from care. Many histories revealed that symptoms
were obvious and prolonged. Parents were sufficiently concerned to seek outside assistance,
asking for prayers and rituals from clergy, relatives, and other church members. For
example, a 2-year-old child aspirated a bite of banana. Her parents frantically called other
members of her religious circle for prayer during nearly an hour in which some signs of life
were still present. In another case, a 6-week-old infant, weighing a pound less than at
birth, died from pneumonia. The mother admitted giving the infant cardiopulmonary
resuscitation several times during the 2 days before the infant‘s death. In one family 5
children died of pneumonia before the age of 20 months, 3 before the study period.
Although this raises the possibility of genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, immune
deficiency, or asthma, many such conditions have a good prognosis with treatment. Their
mother was a nurse before joining a church with doctrinal objections to medical care.
One father had a medical degree and had completed a year of residency before joining a
church opposed to medical care. After 4 days of fever, his 5-month-old son began having
apneic episodes. The father told the coroner that with each spell he ―rebuked the spirit of
death‖ and the infant ―perked right back up and started breathing.‖ The infant died the
next day from bacterial meningitis.
For the children with tumors, available medical care would have given them a reasonable
chance for long-term survival and reduction of pain and suffering. A 2-year-old boy with
Wilms‘ tumor had a primary that weighed 2.5 kg, approximately one sixth of his body mass.
A 12-year-old girl was kept out of school for 7 months while the primary osteogenic
sarcoma on her leg grew to a circumference of 41 inches and her parents relied solely on
prayer. A timely diagnosis would have allowed at least a modest chance for survival.
Table 2
Child fatalities associated with religion-motivated medical neglect
Diagnoses N Ages (Years Expected
Unless Specified) Outcome
General or miscellaneous:
Cashexia, gastric aspiration 1 9 Excellent
Dehydration 6 4mo, 5mo,1,5,8,12 Excellent
Diabetes, type 1 12 3,7,10,10,11,12,12,
13, 13,15,15,16 Excellent
Epilepsy, withheld
medications 1 17 Excellent
Burns, 50% total burn
Surface Area 1 1 Good
Hydrocephaly, myelomen-
ingocoele 1 2 mo Excellent
Foreign body aspiration 1 2 Good
Renal failure 3 15, 15, 15 Excellent
Trauma, motor vehicle accident 1 2 No benefit
Childhood Fatalities
The diagnoses of 113 children who died after their neonatal period are summarized in Table
2. Of the 98 children who did not have cancer, 92 would have had an excellent prognosis
with commonly available medical and surgical care and 4 would have had a good outcome.
Only 2 would not have clearly benefited from care. Many histories revealed that symptoms
were obvious and prolonged. Parents were sufficiently concerned to seek outside assistance,
asking for prayers and rituals from clergy, relatives, and other church members. For
example, a 2-year-old child aspirated a bite of banana. Her parents frantically called other
members of her religious circle for prayer during nearly an hour in which some signs of life
were still present. In another case, a 6-week-old infant, weighing a pound less than at
birth, died from pneumonia. The mother admitted giving the infant cardiopulmonary
resuscitation several times during the 2 days before the infant‘s death. In one family 5
children died of pneumonia before the age of 20 months, 3 before the study period.
Although this raises the possibility of genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, immune
deficiency, or asthma, many such conditions have a good prognosis with treatment. Their
mother was a nurse before joining a church with doctrinal objections to medical care.
One father had a medical degree and had completed a year of residency before joining a
church opposed to medical care. After 4 days of fever, his 5-month-old son began having
apneic episodes. The father told the coroner that with each spell he ―rebuked the spirit of
death‖ and the infant ―perked right back up and started breathing.‖ The infant died the
next day from bacterial meningitis.
For the children with tumors, available medical care would have given them a reasonable
chance for long-term survival and reduction of pain and suffering. A 2-year-old boy with
Wilms‘ tumor had a primary that weighed 2.5 kg, approximately one sixth of his body mass.
A 12-year-old girl was kept out of school for 7 months while the primary osteogenic
sarcoma on her leg grew to a circumference of 41 inches and her parents relied solely on
prayer. A timely diagnosis would have allowed at least a modest chance for survival.
Table 2
Child fatalities associated with religion-motivated medical neglect
Diagnoses N Ages (Years Expected
Unless Specified) Outcome
General or miscellaneous:
Cashexia, gastric aspiration 1 9 Excellent
Dehydration 6 4mo, 5mo,1,5,8,12 Excellent
Diabetes, type 1 12 3,7,10,10,11,12,12,
13, 13,15,15,16 Excellent
Epilepsy, withheld
medications 1 17 Excellent
Burns, 50% total burn
Surface Area 1 1 Good
Hydrocephaly, myelomen-
ingocoele 1 2 mo Excellent
Foreign body aspiration 1 2 Good
Renal failure 3 15, 15, 15 Excellent
Trauma, motor vehicle accident 1 2 No benefit
