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Anti-Vaccine Couple Found Guilty in Toddler’s Death Must Post Ruling to Facebook

A week after the sentencing, their fervent alternative medicine followers haven't seen the real results.
So far, the Stephan family hasn't shared their sentence. Photo via Facebook

Collet Stephan won't go to jail after being found guilty of not providing her 19-month-old son with the basic necessities of life earlier this year. She'll do a few months of house arrest, while her husband David Stephan does four months of jail time.

But the mom of four (now three) unvaccinated boys has been sentenced to a much rarer punishment: an Alberta judge ordered her to post the full court decision to her Facebook page "Prayers for Ezekiel"—an online community where she has fought the courts and advocated for alternative medicine in the name of her dead son.

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Ezekiel Stephan died of meningitis in 2012 after being treated with home remedies including garlic, hot peppers and horseradish as well as immune-boosting naturopathic supplements. A courtroom heard the Mormon parents didn't call a medical doctor or 911 until the toddler stopped breathing, and even then, David Stephan called his dad first.

All through the trial, the parents have defended their actions over social media, never taking responsibility for the death of their own son. The "Prayers for Ezekiel" page disputes results of an autopsy, calls newspaper coverage "lies," and links to interviews the Mormon couple granted to alternative medicine and anti-vaccine websites.

The family's online platform is at the centre of a religious circle that rejects some parts of modern medicine, and embraces alternative health. The Stephans' family business has made millions off this community by selling supplements that claim to address mental health issues. Devoted followers openly claim political interference is behind the parents' conviction.

Observers say the Facebook ruling has no precedent in Canada, but is an attempt to battle misinformation that aims to undermine the legal system.

"I've never seen that before," Calgary lawyer Adriano Iovinelli told the National Post. "The one thing I could draw a comparison to is when sometimes in the US, when you see an individual get convicted, part of their probation is to go and wear a sandwich board."

Nearly a week after the rare ruling, the parents have yet to follow through. Instead, the page's 6,000+ followers are getting more of the same distrust of mainstream medicine, media and law.

The latest item invites followers to "Compare the media articles to the facts." An earlier post claims the Post photoshopped Stephan to make him look angry. Most of these link to the family's own website "Meet the Stephans" with the headline "Discover the Truth about the Stephans."

In other words, that sandwich board isn't going on without a fight.

Follow Sarah Berman on Twitter.