A packed Lethbridge, Alta., courtroom erupted with emotion on Tuesday afternoon, after two parents accused of letting their son die from bacterial meningitis were found guilty.
David Stephan, 32, and Collet Stephan, 36, were charged a year after their nearly 19-month-old son Ezekiel died in March 2012, under Section 215 of the Criminal Code which deals with "failing to provide the necessaries of life."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/m ... -1.3552941" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-new ... cial-media" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;A southern Alberta couple accused of allowing their meningitis-infected toddler to die four years ago tried home remedies such as olive leaf extract and whey protein rather than take him to a doctor, a Lethbridge jury heard Monday.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/j ... -1.3479460" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://doctrinesoffaith.com/mormon-pare ... lds-death/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/toddle ... -medicine/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I understand why people are suspicious of pharmaceuticals and vaccinations these days and why people want to have alternative treatments but in a country like Canada where Health Care is universally available to all citizens, there is no excuse for a child to die of bacterial meningitis. A free visit to a clinic or their actual doctor followed by a blood test and then antibiotics would have saved this child. They could have at least had the condition properly diagnosed and I think that's why they jury found them guilty.
A lot of the media here in Canada is really making Mormons look like a cult because of these people's decision to not properly care for their child. It's bad enough that the fundamentalist polygamist issue here in BC has been in the news a lot lately, but now coupled with these actual members of the church in Alberta, it's proving to be a bad time for LDS PR here in Canada.
The church teaches the complete opposite to what these members did though. I've spent most of the day talking about this with my non-member friends and co-workers specifically stating that many of the news articles, user comments and reports coming up on the Internet are completely false in regards to the church teaching not to go to the doctor or to use alternative treatments. I told them about Elder Nelson being a former world renowned heart surgeon and have been linking them to this President Oak's talk.
God has given us modern day technology and medical science for our benefit. I am glad to live at a time when we have these advances in knowledge to help treat conditions people 150 years ago didn't have.
My question to all here, should these members also be excommunicated for their actions? I personally believe this is a form of child abuse. With the judgement today, they are now considered criminals. Plus the amount of negative attention they have brought to the church here across Canada might also play a roll. I can't think of many instances where an active member of the church has been criminally charged and there has been this much national media attention. Definitely don't want it to be a witch-hunt against these members who are obviously already devastated to lose a child but would it be considered part of the repentance process?Latter-day Saints believe in applying the best available scientific knowledge and techniques. We use nutrition, exercise, and other practices to preserve health, and we enlist the help of healing practitioners, such as physicians and surgeons, to restore health.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/ ... g=eng&_r=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official- ... hild-abuse" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Disciplinary councils are not called to try civil or criminal cases. The decision of a civil court may help determine whether a Church disciplinary council should be convened. However, a civil court’s decision does not dictate the decision of a disciplinary council.
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1990/09/a-ch ... s?lang=eng" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;