Faith-healing mother whose infant son died after she refused to take him to a doctor freed on bail

A Philadelphia woman who, along with her husband, refused to seek medical treatment for her 8-month-old son's pneumonia was released on bail

The woman and her husband are members of the First Century Gospel Church who believe in divine healing, rather than modern medicine

This is the couple's second young child to die from an easily treatable respiratory infection. Their 2-year-old son died from pneumonia in 2009

A Philadelphia faith-healing mother charged with murder after a second son died of pneumonia has been granted bail, but her husband must stay in jail.



Catherine and Herbert Schaible, who are both members of the First Century Gospel Church, do not believe in modern medicine, but rather divine healing.



They were charged with third-degree murder after their 8-month-old son died and went untreated of the respiratory illness.



Catherine (left) and husband Herbert Schaible (right) were both charged with third-degree murder after refusing to seek medical treatment for their son's pneumonia on religious grounds, leading to his death



Four years ago the couple's two-year-old son also died from untreated pneumonia, leading to a conviction on involuntary manslaughter.

The mother of seven other children , Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner ruled that Schaible be released for the children's welfare, according to T he Philadelphia Inquirer .

Since the Schaible's were put in prison this April, the couple's surviving children have been living in foster care.

'These children have one mother and one father, and I don't think it's necessarily a good thing that for months, they have had virtually no contact with either parent,' he said.

The Schaible's were charged with murder after their infant son Brandon died of pneumonia, which could have been prevented if he was given medical treatment for his illness.

The Schaible's are both third-generation members of the First Century Gospel Church in Philadelphia. (pictured here) which preaches divine healing over modern medicine

Herbert Schaible, 44, said in a statement to police that was read in court earlier this year that, 'We believe in divine healing, that Jesus shed blood for our healing and that he died on the cross to break the devil's power.' Medicine, he said, 'is against our religious beliefs.'



His 43-year-old wife said in her statement that 'we pray and ask to be healed the way that Jesus did when he was on Earth.



Officials at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center told The Associated Press that Schaible can live in her parents' home under electronic monitoring once her $250,000 bail is posted.



However, Lerner refused to grant bail to Herber, The Inquirer reported.



Defense attorney Mythri Jayaraman argued that Catherine Schaible was less culpable because the couple's church taught that a wife must be 'submissive to her husband.'



Pastor Nelson Clark and Assistant Pastor Ralph Myers of First Century Gospel Church testified that Herbert Schaible made decisions about the welfare of the couple's children.



'She would have a say, but he would make the decision,' Clark said.



Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore argued against treating Catherine Schaible differently from her husband.



'She was that child's mother, and he was that child's father, and they both have equal responsibility for that child,' she said.



Clark said under questioning from the judge that he suggested a day or two before Brandon's death that Herbert Schaible tell his probation officer about the child's illness, but 'he said that if he called anyone, it would be a denial of his faith that God could heal the child.'

