On February 6, Abigail Piland was born without any obvious problems. But when the midwife who helped deliver her checked back the next day, Abigail didn’t look healthy.

Abigail appeared jaundiced, and the midwife advised [mother] Rachel Piland to take the child to a pediatrician or an emergency room, [Police Detective Peter] Scaccia said. “She told Piland the baby could suffer brain damage or die if not properly cared for. “Rachel declined to seek any medical treatment for Abigail, stating God makes no mistakes,” Scaccia said. “She indicated to the midwife that the baby was fine.”

Days later, Abigail was dead. A medical examiner later attributed it to “unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia and kernicterus,” both jaundice-related problems that are treatable.

Abigail never saw a doctor when blood was coming out of her mouth, she wasn’t eating, or her skin became further discolored. All because her parents put more trust in God than someone who could actually help.

Rachel and her husband Joshua have now been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Both could spend the next 15 years in jail if convicted. And both deserve it. They let their child die because religious pride was more important to them than common sense.

The only way these avoidable tragedies will stop is if the parents are handed the maximum sentence. Religious conviction should never be a “Get Out of Jail Free” card.

(Thanks to Jim for the link)