Madelinea Kara Neumann Case Summary

The story of how Madeline Kara Neumann passed away is a tragic situation in which there is a debate regarding religious beliefs and necessary legal medical treatment that plays a crucial role. Neumann was eleven years old when she became seriously ill from diabetic ketoacidosis. Her diabetes was undiagnosed and instead of getting medical attention, her parents decided to respond to her sickness with prayer instead (Johnson, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to further explore Neumann’s background story, the ethical principles related to this case, the difference between the right to religious freedom and the duty to protect children, the impact on laws and regulations, similar cases to Neumann’s story, and also an opinion regarding what stand …show more content…
If medical professionals would have known about Madeline’s health status sooner, they would have been obligated to treat her due to her being near death. When the family members and friends of the family called 911, they were acting out of beneficence in an attempt to benefit Madeline and to get her medical attention. The ethical principle of autonomy also plays a role in this case as well. Madeline’s parents have autonomy in regards to how they chose to raise their children and their parenting choices. They do have the right to refuse medical treatments, unless their child is near death. Unfortunately it was too late for Madeline in this …show more content…
Ella Grace Foster died in 2016 due to untreated pneumonia as well. This family resided in Pennsylvania, and the parents were also charged with both involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment. The parents decided not to seek medical treatment when their two year old became ill because according to them, seeking medical treatment would have been against their religion and it would have been frowned upon. Medical professionals stated that Ella would have had a 95% chance of survival with the proper medical treatment (Rubinkam, 2017).
What Stand Health Care Providers Should Take Ultimately, I believe that health care providers should want to treat pediatric patients that are near death regardless of their parent’s religious beliefs. People are in health care because they want to help others and they want to take care of others. I think that if medical professionals were aware of the Neumann case, the Schaible cases, and the Foster case, that these children would probably all be alive today. Health care providers are advocates for patients, especially pediatric patients who cannot always stand up for their selves.