This week an inquest launched, looking at whether system failures led to the death of 8-year-old Elizabeth Struhs, and what could have been done to save her.  

Elizabeth passed away in 2022 after her parents stopped giving her insulin due to their religious beliefs. Her mum and dad were found guilty of her manslaughter in a later court case.  

It comes after a case earlier this year, when Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital took a 15-year-old girl to the Supreme Court after she refused treatment for her leukaemia – also for religious reasons.  

In this bonus episode of The Briefing, we revisit Chris Spyrou's chat with University of Sydney law professor Cameron Stewart about what happens when medicine, parental authority and religious beliefs collide. 

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