Religious Rejection of Medical Treatment by Kursten Ratliff

= *Religious*
Rejection of Medical Treatment For Children  *=*

**The Problem**

Parental
rejection of medicine and medical treatment seems to be a growing issue within
the United States of today. Why is this issue a problem you may ask? Well one
main reason is for religious issues, some religions may completely ban any and
all medical treatment. Instead of using medical treatment they may decide to pray,
use anointing oils, and even exorcisms (Hall, 2013).Some religions can even
deny the reality of an illness all together. This being said, it is the right
of any capable adult to refuse such medical treatment. However, in a child’s
case it is immoral to take away their right of medical treatment for any and
all religious reasons.

**The Impact on Children**

The
children who are going without the medical treatment are the clear victims
stuck in the middle of a battle between church vs. state. The American Academy
of Pediatrics believes that every child should have the opportunity to grow and
develop free from preventable illness or injury (Religious Objections to
Medical Care, 1997).in the right an ethical world society gasps in the
situation of a child dying due to neglect such as malnutrition, overexposure,
and simple accidents. Nonetheless, we find a reason or excuse to allow a child
to perish without medical treatment rejected from parents. According to Robert
D. MD, director
of clinical ethics at the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, in
Bannockburn, IL, the clear impact of this neglect can
lead to in “...Increased
patient suffering, prolonged hospital stay, and increased expense.”

**Cause and Effect**

Not only can
the refusal of medical treatment harm one child, but also dozens more. A simple
scenario of Christian Scientist based parents enroll their young 10 month old
into day care, this child has no shots due to “religious reasons”. Little do
the parents know the child has contracted Haemophilus influenzae which is a
bacterium that can cause a severe infection and also is very contagious (Haemophilus influenzae Disease,
2014). The parents might think the child just has a cough which is included in
one of the symptoms. This disease is known for mimicking pneumonia. Haemophilus influenza can cause
death and lifelong disabilities, and the rest of the day care is at risk because
of two irresponsible parents.

**What Should Be Done?**

As of right now
there are 32 states that have religious exemptions for misdemeanors and felony charges involving
children (Garcia, 2014). In the state of Idaho twelve children have died since
2011 and no charges have been put into place (Garcia, 2014). Why haven’t any
charges been filed? In Idaho it is not on the politician’s priority list for
lawmaking. According to Senator John Gannon of Idaho, “honestly it’s not
something that I’ve thought a lot about lately.” There are only six states that
allow no religious exemptions from criminal and civil charges (Garcia, 2014). The
remaining states only allow civil case exemptions with no criminal exemptions.
Therefore, this makes it rather hard for Child services to step in and take
action before it is too late (Garcia, 2014). Laws need to be put into place,
just a simple fine line between what is okay and what is not. There is not
enough regulation for the of protection children from neglect due to religious
reasons.

**An Ethical Dilemma**

A child dying of cancer,
is it okay if parents refuse chemotherapy because that could possibly diminish
the quality of life for the time they have left? The cancer still has a great
chance of taking his life, even with the chemo, what do you do? In another case
was it okay for parents just to neglect a child with spinal meningitis that was
100% fatal without antibiotics but 95% curable with the antibiotics (Children’s
Health Care is a Legal duty, 2015)? These are the ethical questions that lawmakers
have refused to acknowledge. The simple reason is due to the many gray areas in
the first amendment, the right of freedom of religion. Children are dying
nationwide, and something needs to be done.

References

Garcia, Arturo. (18 November, 2014). Christian kids
dying because their parents refusal of

medical treatment-and it’s perfectly legal. Retrieved from http://www.alternet.org/christian-kids-dying-because-their-parents-refuse-medical-treatment-and-its-perfectly-legal

Hall, Harriet. (19 November, 2013). Faith healing: religious
freedom vs. child protection.

Retrieved
from

https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/faith-healing-religious-freedom-vs-child-
protection/

Kavanaugh,
Shan Dixon. (17 November, 2014). Living on a prayer: why does god kill so many

children in idaho. Retrieved from

http://www.vocativ.com/author/shane-dixon-kavanaugh/

Morgan, T. church vs. state [digital]. Retrieved
from

http://www.lsureveille.com/opinion/columnists/the-damn-hamm-should-prayer-ever-be-allowed-in-public/article\_b8dbd6dc-fd59-11e1-bf18-0019bb30f31a.html

(August,
2003). Faith-based decisions: parents who refuse appropriate care for their children.

Retrieved from http://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/2003/08/ccas1-0308.html

(2 April, 2014). Haemophilus influenzae disease
(including hib). Retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/hi-disease/

(5 April, 2015). Cause and Effect [digital].

Retrieved from http://understandingcontext.com/2014/04/agents-instruments/

(2015).
Religious exemptions from healthcare for children. Retrieved from

http://childrenshealthcare.org/?page

(1997). Religious exemptions
to medical care. Retrieved from

http://www.cirp.org/library/ethics/AAP3/#n4