Members of an Australian religious group have gone on trial accused of killing an eight-year-old diabetic girl by denying her medical care and offering prayer instead.
Elizabeth Struhs was found dead at a home in Toowoomba - about 125km (78 mi) west of Brisbane - in January 2022, after she had allegedly gone without insulin for several days.
Prosecutors say the sect shunned the use of medicine and trusted God to “heal” the child - “extreme beliefs” which had already almost ended Elizabeth’s life in similar circumstances three years before.
The girl’s parents are among the 14 defendants, all of whom have refused lawyers.
I’d be I treated to see studies of religious influence in delaying medical prosecuted from countries with more available/affordable medical care than the US.
I say this because the US is known for unaffordable healthcare, and generally poorer people are in need of heal are more, and may be turning to religion to address it.
That said, I believe every religion should encourage healthcare and support medical and scientific advances