(December 2, 2008)—A judge in Wisconsin has refused to dismiss charges against the parents of an 11-year-old girl who prayed instead of seeking a doctor’s care as their daughter died of untreated diabetes.
The couple is expected to appeal the ruling by Marathon County, Wis. Judge Vincent Howard.
Dale and Leilani Neumann have pleaded not guilty to second-degree reckless homicide and their attorneys wanted the charges dismissed on constitutional grounds.
The couple's daughter, Madeline, died of untreated diabetes at their home on Easter. Prosecutors say the girl likely had symptoms for weeks that should have prompted the parents to seek medical treatment.
At the heart of the dispute are two Wisconsin laws.
One law says it is not child abuse to treat illness through prayer alone.
The second is a homicide law that makes no exception for prayer.
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