I was horrified today when I read an article about an eleven year old girl who died from diabetes recently because her parents refused to seek medical treatment for her, due to their religious beliefs. This lead to the sentencing of her parents to 30 days of jail time every year for 6 years. That's 6 months of jail time total, and 6 months that these parents won't be able to spend with their remaining two children, whom, the court ordered must be taken to the doctor if they are injured or in need of medical attention during these 6 years. What really horrified me though, was that even when the girl was so ill that she couldn't walk or talk, her parents refused to take her to the doctor. Imagine how helpless that girl was in that situation.
According to experts in the article, there have been at least 50 cases in the US since 1982 where children have been denied medical attention because of religious reasons. Lawmakers are trying to introduce legislation to remove religious exemptions for charges of neglect and abuse. I understand everyone has different religious views, and I respect that, but personally, I don't think children should have to suffer because of the religion their family has that they are born into. At 11 years old, how do you know that is what you believe in, anyway? And is it worth losing a child?
Should parents who refuse medical treatment for their children because of religious reasons be punished? And if the child is underage, should the parent still have the right to decide whether or not to seek medical attention?
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I think you raise a really good point in your question. I understand and support that parents should have the right to decide what is right for their children. And I also respect the religious views of the parents of this child. But at the same time, when sickness becomes a life or death situation, I think the child should have the right to choose if they want to seek medical treatment to prevent them from dying. In my mind, staying alive (even if it means compromising your religious beliefs) is more important than dying because your religion doesn't support medical treatment. But then again, I'm not a very religious person... But when it comes down to live or death, I am always a true believer that finding a way to live trumps letting someone die.
ReplyDeleteKatie,
ReplyDeleteA fascinating case. (I almost blogged on this, too). You do a nice job of telling the background story. It'd be nice to extend your analysis by quoting from the text and commenting on it. Also, you might want to take a clearer stand on the issue -- or even comment on the stands that have been taken. Still, overall, good job!