An innocent child has been killed due to his mother’s misguided faith in alternative medicine.
According to the Calgary Herald, seven-year-old Ryan Lovett was killed when he failed to receive proper treatment for a Strep infection. Although this infection could have easily been treated by a competent doctor, his mother rejected mainstream medicine in favor of alternative treatments. In fact, there is no apparent record of his mother ever once taking him to a doctor.
Instead, Ryan was brought to a homeopath for treatment. Homeopathy is an absurd form of alternative medicine that has been irrefutably demonstrated to be no more effective than a placebo. Unsurprisingly, the treatment was ineffective at treating Ryan’s Strep infection, and he died after 10 days.
Conclusion
This horrible incident illustrates the fact that the belief in snake oil medicine is not always a victimless crime. Although homeopathy itself did not hurt the boy, the misguided faith in alternative medicine led to the displacement of evidence-based treatment, ultimately leading to dire consequences. The mother is currently being prosecuted for negligence, and in my opinion, deserves to be sent to prison for the unnecessary death of her son.
References
1 Zickefoose S. Woman faces negligence charges in connection with son’s death. Calgary Herald. 2013 Nov; Retrieved from http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Woman+faces+negligence+charges+connection+with+death/9201019/story.html