From the ArcaMax Publishing, Religion & Spirituality Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/religionandspirituality/s-574777-548113
OREGON CITY, Ore. (UPI) -- The parents of a 15-month-old Oregon girl
overlooked or misunderstood several red flags that would have saved
her life, a pediatrician testified Thursday.
Raylene and Carl Brent Worthington did not question their daughter's
failure to develop normally, Dr. Sayonara Mato, who specializes in
infectious diseases at a Portland, Ore., hospital told Clackamas
County Circuit Court in Oregon City, Ore.
They also ignored a cyst that swelled when she had an infection and
chose not seek medical help when the girl's distress became
conspicuously noticeable shortly before she died, Mato testified.
Ava died at home March 2, 2008, of pneumonia, a blood infection and
complications caused by a cyst that interfered with her windpipe and
esophagus.
Her parents, members of an Oregon City church that practices faith
healing, are charged with manslaughter and criminal mistreatment for
failing to provide medical treatment for their daughter.
The Worthingtons said Ava never saw a doctor and her medical condition
was never assessed, The (Portland) Oregonian reported. Consequently,
they didn't know what warning signs to watch for and did not question
the child's failure to grow, Mato testified.
No one in the Worthington family, including their 5-year-old daughter,
has been to a doctor, The Oregonian said.