The Moorheads are vegans and Mrs Moorhead's diet meant baby Caleb did not receive enough vitamin B12 vital to his development. When he became ill, they treated him with herbal remedies and eventually took him to Auckland's Starship hospital, but against medical advice took him away and went into hiding. They believed in God's healing power, and while they did not want Caleb to die, they believed it was God's will and they allowed their religious beliefs to blind them to the reality. Caleb could have been saved with medical treatment including a simple vitamin injection and need not have died.

The Moorheads belong to the Seventh Day Adventist Church which has distanced itself from their actions. The church has made it clear it does not condone taking a child from hospital care, that it believes in the healthcare system and operates more than 170 hospitals worldwide.

However, even during the trial the Moorheads said they were committed to God's healing and would not change the approach they had taken to Caleb. That view shows that the extreme measure of removing their next baby from them must be taken.