In brief
Elizabeth Struhs died at the age of eight due to lack of insulin, as her family adhered to their faith's beliefs over medical care.
In a tragic case highlighting the intersection of faith and health, the parents of Elizabeth Rose Struhs and 12 members of their small religious sect were convicted of manslaughter by an Australian court. The court's decision came after they withheld necessary insulin from Elizabeth, who suffered from Type 1 diabetes, leading to her death just before her ninth birthday on January 7, 2022. Following four days of not administering insulin, which her father believed was against his faith, Elizabeth lost consciousness, prompting sect members to pray rather than seek medical intervention. Her father, Jason Struhs, who works as a baker and is the father of seven other children, insisted throughout the trial that he had faith Elizabeth would be resurrected by God. Brendan Stevens, the leader of their church located in Toowoomba, Queensland, argued that the prosecution was an act of religious persecution, aligning with his sect's belief that medical treatment contradicted their spirituality. Many members of the sect, who identified as “the Saints,” rejected conventional medicine, with some labeling it as witchcraft. In a controversial decision, although both Struhs and Stevens faced murder charges, a judge ruled that the evidence was insufficient to conclude that they knowingly allowed their daughter's health to decline fatalistically through neglect. In a striking stance, all 14 defendants opted to represent themselves during the lengthy trial, refusing legal counsel.
