Parental rights

[InspiringRaine]

Re: Parental rights

Those are rediculous protections.

No parent, in any way, should be allowed to let their child die just because of prayer. That, in my opinion, is a form of Abuse. They're neglecting their child's needs, for the sake of their faith.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Parental rights

?.. Such a thing would get your kids taken away from you (I think in most States as well)...

Not necessarily - if you look at the legal summery, you'll see that many states have laws protecting a parent's choice in whether to use real medicine, or faith based medicine.

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Surely they could have prayed for the child alongside proper medical treatment?

Well, according to their belief system, this would "take glory away from God."

[Malflick]

Re: Parental rights

No. Absolutely not.

I believe the treatments themselves are often the answer to prayer anyways... But seriously, just no. You don't have the right to let your child die just because you believe they'll be okay.

I have a friend whose parents let this happen. She still has huge problems with religion because of it, and you know, that's effing understandable.

I'd keep writing, but everyone else has said my points so I'll cut myself off there.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Parental rights

Absolutely not. The rights of parents stop when they significantly endanger or hinder their children. For example, in many countries parents don't have the right to keep their kids out of education before a certain age. They can homeschool them, but they have to school them -somehow-. In most countries, health care is the same. Such a thing would get your kids taken away from you (I think in most States as well). Some things like vaccines are a grey area, but they still have ways to push it because it's not only important to your kid, it's important to other kids (especially those who can't get vaccinated for medical reasons). I read that in Ontario, they started sending kids home from school for not getting vaccinated (unless it was one of the said medical reasons). Since you have to send your kids to school at some point or homeschool them, this pretty much makes you do it.

[Quetzal]

Re: Parental rights

No, they should have absolutely no protection.

Surely they could have prayed for the child alongside proper medical treatment?

[Kahlenda]

Re: Parental rights

No its bollocks and its stupidity im sorry but it is, medical treatment is there for a reason, im spiritual i prefer herbal remedies than going to a doctors but when its clear herbal and magickal remedies arnt working i drag my arse to the doc's its simple as thatm and if this was britian they'd be charged with Severe neglect

[B. de Corbin]

This is a (unfortunately) fairly common occurrence - parents watch as their child dies, trusting to prayer rather than a medical doctor.

The parents in this case were found guilty of second degree murder:

Parents who prayed for sick daughter

Here's a summary of the legal issues involved:

The couple's attorneys argued that Wisconsin law protects people from being charged with child abuse if they provide spiritual treatment for a child in lieu of medical assistance. They contended the law protects parents from criminal liability through the point of creating a substantial risk of death, making it difficult to know when a situation has become so serious that parents who stay with prayer healing become criminally liable. State attorneys countered that parents are immune from child abuse charges but not homicide counts, arguing that once they realize a child could die, their immunity ends.

More than a dozen states have some form of legal protection for parents who choose prayer healing for their children over conventional medical attention. But they've been wrestling for years with how far those protections go.

So - the debate question is this-

In you opinion, should parents have a legal right, and immunity from prosecution, for refusing life-saving medical treatments for their children?