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Sean Faircloth:
Attack of the Theocrats!
Comment 14, EvN, Hi there,
I forgot to quote you, but you asked which crime had been committed. A few suggestions;
Reckless endangerment, failure of duty of care (even the most basic professional responsibility) and possibly false imprisonment (as he wasn't allowed a phone call and visitors were prevented). I wish there was attempted manslaughter. Obviously attempted murder wouldn't stick, but this doctor left 'God' to decide if her patient died. That has to be a serious crime. Apart from the fact that she should be struck off.
How about this. He missed 5 days of medication? What if he had died? It would have been manslaughter. Ask Michael Jackson's doctor. In the case of a doctor and patient, failure to act is a kind of action. He needn't have died within the five days, but died as a direct result of complications - no novus actus interveniens - of her witholding of medication . So, attempted manslaughter is, in effect, exactly what it is. So, I'd say reckless endangerment.
I hope that this becomes a test case making it clear that religious belief can never be an excuse for breaking the law. Ah, but which law? I think that if this petition can help to create the will, the means of bringing specific offences will be found.
I hope you won your case, or it's going well.
Permalink Tue, 03 Jul 2012 12:26:40 UTC | #948492