Anti-vaxxer naturopath is arrested for advising mother to halt her toddler’s medication

A 59-year-old registered nurse and midwife, who also practices naturopathy and is an avowed vaccine denier, has been arrested by the New South Wales police for advising the mother of an 8-month-old to halt his medication in favor of alternative health treatments.

Marilyn Bodnar told the mother of the young boy to stop his medical and dermatological treatment for eczema and to replace it with alternative therapy. Last May, the boy was admitted to the hospital suffering from malnourishment and “developmental” issues and was near death.

He was released from the hospital this Wednesday.

Child abuse detectives arrested Bodnar at her home the following day. She is being charged with “grievous bodily harm and failure to provide for a child, causing danger of death.” The child’s mother is also facing similar charges.

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Marilyn Bodnar/Facebook

DeadState looked into Bodnar’s social media history and found she’s also a regular promoter of anti-vaccine memes and propaganda, sharing links and images from known pseudoscience websites such as NaturalNews.com.

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via Facebook
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via Facebook

According to Australia’s ABC.net, a statement from NSW Health said naturopaths are unregistered as health practitioners and are subject to a code of conduct under the Public Health Act and Regulation.

The statement added that practitioners are required to provide services in a safe and ethical manner, and should not attempt to discourage patients from seeking or continuing with treatment by a registered medical practitioner.

NSW Health said a prohibition order can be made against a practitioner if a breach of this conduct is reported and the practitioner poses a risk to the health or safety of members of the public.

Bodnar is set to appear at a local court hearing on July 27.

Featured image: NSW Police

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.

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