It has been reported that a father accused of withholding insulin from his eight-year-old diabetic daughter and relying on the healing power of God has been committed to stand trial for her alleged murder.
Jason Richard Struhs, his wife Kerrie, and 12 others from a fringe religious group have been charged over the death of type 1 diabetic Elizabeth Rose Struhs. Police alleged she had gone days without insulin and then died. The police prosecutor detailed statements from witnesses and experts, including pediatric consultant Dr. Catherine Skellern, who said Elizabeth’s death “would have been painful and was over a prolonged period of days”.
“There is [also] body-worn camera footage at the scene … where Jason Struhs has recounted the events of the week leading up to the death of Elizabeth,” said the prosecutor. “This details the decision that Jason Struhs has made to stop the administration of insulin, and he stated that he knew the consequences, and he stated in that recording that he will ‘probably go to jail like they put Kerrie in jail’.”
During the hearing, Struhs, who appeared from jail by videolink, mainly sat with his head bowed and hands clasped against his forehead as magistrate Clare Kelly described the evidence against him. “It is said that Mr. Struhs, his wife Kerrie Struhs, and their children, including Elizabeth, were members of a religious community… The religious beliefs held by the members of the community include the healing power of God and the shunning of medical intervention in human life.” She also described a statement from Skellern suggesting Elizabeth would have spent her final days suffering from “insatiable thirst, weakness and lethargy, abdominal pain, incontinence, and the onset of impaired levels of consciousness”. The evidence read into court was an attempt by prosecutors to firm up an additional charge of torture. She said a post-mortem found Elizabeth’s cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis, caused by a lack of insulin. “It is a life-threatening condition, which requires urgent medical treatment,” Kelly said.
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Cases like these are tragic, all the more so because they might have been preventable with more information and critical thinking. They make me desperately sad, of course, but they also convince me that my work with this blog should continue.
13 Responses to Dad who ‘chose healing power of God’ faces murder trial
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who ever got these ideas to the father’s head should be in jail with him.
There was no alternative treatment of any type. This has nothing to do with SCAM, and everything to do with Religion.
prayer is seen my many as an alternative therapy – as we discussed here often.
See:
https://edzardernst.com/category/religion/
thanks – for many SCAM-fanatics, SCAM is a religion!
@Edzard
I see no mention of prayer in the story. That said, prayer is an intervention, but not a medical treatment.
you see religion, don’t you?
do you know of any religion without prayer?
Religion without prayer?
Maybe it’s a human need for prayer which gives rise to religion rather than the other way round. Even Buddhism, which philosophically has no place for prayer, embraces it in its popular practice. If you mean by prayer an appeal for help from some external agency it’s maybe not unreasonable – but wouldn’t it make more sense to seek help from something real rather than a figment of the imagination?
@RG
Prayer is not an intervention. It is merely begging for (supernatural) intervention, while at the same time absolving oneself from any personal responsibility in the matter.
It’s not an intervention. By definition, it is the exact opposite.
Pathetic. There are many more case like these out there but they don’t come to light. Please continue your good work. Not many people have the courage as you do.
All religion is a mental illness, a detachment from reality, and a childish, immature need for a father figure.