Two parents in Italy are facing trial after admitting to the risk of their son's death by failing to provide him with proper treatment after a clear diagnosis: cancer. His name was Francesco and he was 14 years old - the latest victim of adults who, absurdly, believe that cancer can be treated without medication.
The Hamer Method
As in the case of the “Hamer method”, which – as the website of the Italian Foundation for Cancer Research (AIRC) recalls – is based “on pseudo-theories that have never been tested in a serious scientific manner. The baseless claim is that the tumor is the result of a psycho-emotional conflict. In addition to being baseless, the principles of this method deny everything that has been scientifically proven about the functioning of the healthy and sick body. The Hamer method rejects the use of drugs, causing great delays in the start of therapy and thus turning a treatable tumor into an incurable disease.”
Hamer died in 2017, but sadly, his absurd ideas continue to spread. In 2021, the conviction of a doctor who treated a cancer patient with teas and psychotherapy – leading to her death – became final.
The case in Vicenza
The trial of the parental couple began yesterday, October 21st, before the Vicenza Court of Appeal for possible intentional homicide (omicidio con dolo eventuale). The case was discussed during the preliminary hearing on Thursday morning before the judge for preliminary investigations.
The core of the prosecution's accusation, represented by prosecutor Paolo Fietta, is the parents' decision to delay the medical treatment necessary for the survival of their son - a high school student - while they sought the opinions of five different doctors. The case reached the juvenile prosecutor's office after a report from Social Services. The boy, after several visits to various hospitals, ended up in Vicenza, where he died early last year.
INVESTIGATIONS
At the San Bortolo hospital, where the teenager was admitted after the diagnosis, he underwent an examination by an expert appointed by the court, who concluded that the patient had not received the necessary therapies for the treatment of cancer. This was followed by his death. In the following days, the judicial police questioned the two parents, reconstructing the course of the event. Based on their testimonies and the expertise carried out at San Bortolo, the Public Prosecutor's Office filed a charge of intentional homicide (omicidio volontario).
Similar cases
Making the necessary distinctions, this story recalls the case of Lino Bottaro and Rita Benini, a couple from Padua who were ultimately sentenced to two years in prison – but for manslaughter (omicidio colposo) – after refusing to allow their 17-year-old daughter, Eleonora, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, to receive chemotherapy. According to the doctors, she had about an 80% chance of recovery, but the family opted for the Hamer method, treating her only with cortisone and vitamin C.
Earlier this year, the conviction of a doctor who treated a child's ear infection with homeopathic medicine was also final. The boy, Francesco, 7, died of encephalitis. An antibiotic would have saved his life.
