Overview
- Rita Benini, 60, died after a surgical removal of a tongue growth and her decision not to undergo the recommended chemotherapy, her husband Lino Bottaro told reporters.
- The couple had lost their daughter Eleonora in 2016 after refusing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and were convicted in 2023 by Italy’s Court of Cassation for involuntary manslaughter for persuading her to reject curative treatment.
- Medical testimony in the earlier case said Eleonora had about an 80% chance of cure with standard therapy, a figure cited by courts when upholding the parents’ conviction.
- The Bottaros followed Ryke Geerd Hamer’s ‘New Germanic Medicine,’ an approach that attributes cancer to psychological conflict and promotes unproven alternatives; mainstream medicine has discredited Hamer’s theories and linked them to preventable deaths.
- Public-health advocates say the case underlines tensions over parental choice, child protection, and criminal liability for withholding effective care, and Rita Benini’s funeral will be held in Bagnoli di Sopra on Monday.