Indianapolis — A couple convicted of reckless homicide in their newborn daughter's death must pay the hospital bill for another daughter who was kept in intensive care for 75 days despite their religious objections, an appeals court ruled.
Dewayne and Maleta Schmidt now face a nearly $172,000 medical bill for 5-year-old Makalynn, along with a work-release sentence following their convictions in the 2003 death of their other daughter, Rhianna.
The Schmidts are members of the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, which advocates prayer and faith healing over medical intervention, though it does not require members to shun medical care.
A three-judge panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled last week that the Schmidts' religious objections to medical treatment did not negate their parental duty to pay for their child's health care.
"Parents, while free to make martyrs of themselves, are not free under identical circumstances to make martyrs of their children," Judge Margret G. Robb wrote.
Phone messages left by The Associated Press at the couple's home seeking comment during the weekend were not returned.
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