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Elizabeth Struhs
Trends
- 1
Elizabeth Struhs, a young Australian girl who died after her parents' religious community withheld her diabetes medication, was failed by child safety authorities, according to reporting by the Sydney Morning Herald. The findings state authorities did not do enough to protect her from the extreme sect, prompting questions about how child protection systems respond to closed religious communities.
- 2Doctors urged mental health assessment of Elizabeth Struhs's mother, coroner told▼Doctors treating Elizabeth Struhs recommended involuntary mental health assessment of her mother, coroner hears
A Queensland coronial inquest has heard that doctors treating eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs, who died in 2022 after her parents withheld her diabetes medication on religious grounds, recommended her mother Kerrie Struhs undergo an involuntary mental health assessment. The evidence emerged at the inquest into her death, which has drawn continued attention to the role of faith-based medical refusal and missed intervention opportunities.
- 3Doctor warned Elizabeth Struhs unsafe at home before sect killed her▼Doctor warned Elizabeth Struhs would not be safe at home years before religious sect killed her by withdrawing medicine
An inquest heard that a doctor warned authorities years before eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs died that she would not be safe if returned home. The Australian girl, a type 1 diabetic, died in 2022 in Toowoomba, Queensland, after members of a religious group allegedly withheld her insulin for days while believing prayer would heal her. The testimony has reignited scrutiny of child protection failures.