In the United States, adults over the age of 18 can refuse any type of medical care or treatment, as long as they’re competent to make their own decisions. Many religious groups including Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Scientists, Amish and Scientologists choose to reject some or all mainstream health care. I have always thought that every religion has a right to their own beliefs. However, refusing medical care for their children because it’s against their religion, is a completely different story.
There are parents who refuse medical care for themselves and may allow it for their children, but there are also many who don’t allow it for their children either. This can be very problematic for their children because if they don’t have all of the recommended shots and treatments it could lead to the child potentially getting sick later on. Children especially need to be taken for frequent checkups, so if anything does go wrong with their health the doctors can fix it before it gets worse. Children are too young to understand that they should have a choice whether or not they want to seek medical care; just because their parents don’t doesn’t mean they have to too.
These kids should not have to suffer because of their parents’ beliefs. There are currently 19 states that have no religious exemptions to civil child abuse and neglect statutes. Even throughout the COVID pandemic these laws didn’t change. The only kind of child abuse and neglect that’s protected by law in many states is faith-based medical neglect. And personally I think by now these laws should be different because of how many children have died from “faith healing.” Are these states just going to continue to let these innocent children suffer and die simply because their parents think that medical care isn’t necessary?
Even though the number of religious-related medical neglect cases is significantly smaller compared to other types of child neglect in the country, that does not mean that it is alright. I can only hope that these laws will change sooner rather than later so children born into these religious groups will be protected by the law.