Two Mormon parents who own a nutritional supplement company are accused of letting their toddler son die from meningitis because they tried to treat him with home remedies instead of medicine.
David and Collet Stephan have pleaded not guilty to charges that they failed to provide the necessities of life to their 19-month-old son Ezekiel, reported CBC News.
Prosecutors in Alberta, Canada, say the couple did not call an ambulance until the boy stopped breathing and instead fed him supplements with an eye dropper and lay down with him.
Collet Stephan, 35, told police that a friend told the couple their son had meningitis — inflammation caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
She said they tried to boost the boy’s immune system by feeding him with olive leaf extract, whey protein, water with maple syrup and juice with frozen berries.
They finally fed the boy, who was becoming stiff and lethargic after two weeks of illness, a mixture of apple cider vinegar, horseradish root, hot peppers, onion, garlic and ginger root.
The child was airlifted to a hospital after he stopped breathing, and doctors removed him from life support after five days.
Prosecutors played recordings during the couple’s trial of Collet Stephan describing their attempt to treat the boy.
Not sure what Canadian laws are on this, but having grown up as the son of two health care professionals, this makes me absolutely seethe. I just don't understand why you would massively increase the risk of a child's life like that when the means to treat disease are available.
Just absolute idiocy.
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