Even if a friend, neighbor, someone from the public school she had attended, stepped in and the girl received emergency care, would the subsequent diabetes treatments (meds) have been followed when she had been returned back to her parents. Or would the parents have renounced the 'state's treatment' and not given the meds (causing the same outcome). So not knowing if the parents would adminster treatment, would it be safe to say that the child should have been taken into custody by the state. But then child protection authorities would be made out to be overstepping their bounds by taking the child out of a prayerful home. When infact, state intervetnion would have saved her life. I can see how that scenario could have been played out. Sadly, though, no one outside of the family knew of her detriorating condition and help was called too late.
You raise good points, PM. In all such matters, there are limits to what legislation and government intervention (or even intervention by private interested parties of good will) can accomplish. In truth, children are usually at the mercy of their parents, and if they have the bad luck to have lousy parents, it’s often a bit of a miracle if they make it through to healthy, sane adulthood.