When faith healing fails
Amid the manslaughter trial of an Oregon couple and the neglect charges of a Tennessee woman and her minister for opting for prayer instead of medicine to treat deathly ill children, the Associated Press has moved a story illustrating the difficulty officials face in trying to address faith healing:
Most states have child abuse laws allowing some religious exemptions for parents who shun medicine for their sick children, but a few recent cases highlight thorny legal issues for parents following less-recognized faiths.Existing laws have gradually accounted for more well-known and established faiths, such as Pentecostalism, Christian Science and Jehovah's Witnesses.
But recent cases in the news have judges and child care advocates dealing with parents who claim adherence to lesser-known faiths, such as the Minnesota family following an Internet-based group's American Indian beliefs, and an independent Oregon church that has been investigated in the past for the deaths of members' sick children.
Legal and religious scholars say it's becoming more difficult for courts to decide when to honor the religious beliefs of parents and when to order conventional medical treatment for extremely sick children.
Comments
Jehovah's Witnesses blood transfusion confusion
Jehovah's Witnesses & blood transfusions is contradictory,they condemn blood but then go and use 'fractions',donated by thousands of Red Cross volunteers.They use 60% of the blood volume as broken down "fractions" then go on Bible thumping rants about how dangerous and sinful blood transfusions are.
As a diversion they go and trump the advantages of bloodless surgeries and try to grab the credit for it when in fact bloodless techniques were pioneered by non-JW doctors because of the shortage of blood donors (like with all the JW's who use blood fractions but don't donate back)
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Danny Haszard
Posted by: Danny Haszard | July 2, 2009 8:42 AM
SUMMARIES OF 1400 JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES MEDICAL & OTHER COURT CASES
The following website summarizes over 900 court cases and lawsuits affecting children of Jehovah's Witness Parents, including over 400 cases where the JW Parents refused to consent to life-saving blood transfusions for their dying children:
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The following website summarizes over 500 Jehovah's Witnesses Employment related lawsuits, etc, including DOZENS of court cases in which JW Employees refused blood transfusions, and/or other cases involving Worker's Comp, medical, health, and disability issues:
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Posted by: James Jones | July 2, 2009 9:04 AM
Its very simple. If the bible doesnt tell you to refuse medical treatment, then dont feel the need to do it, especially if someone is seriously ill. Actually I refuse medical treatment all the time when I go to the health food store instead of to the doctor's office and pharmacy. It's usually a better idea. The bible however, doesnt tell me to refuse medical treatment anymore than it tells me not to drive on the beltway during rush hour. It does tell me to pray. Thanks.
Posted by: Clay | July 3, 2009 10:16 AM