Toddler died bc parents treated his meningitis with herbal supplements

[DetlefK]

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/toddler-died-from-meningitis-after-anti-vaxx-parents-treated-him-with-maple-syrup-instead-of-medicine/

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.

...

Prosecutors told the court the couple loved their son and were not accused of ignoring or killing him, but they said the parents should have sought medical assistance sooner.

David Stephan has said he believes the government is prosecuting the couple to force parents through the courts — instead of through legislation — to vaccinate their children.

He argues that no evidence shows Ezekiel’s death would have been prevented if he had been given the vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).

...

If convicted, the couple faces a possible five-year prison term and the loss of their other children.