This February, a 13-year old girl, Amanda Bates, died here in Colorado from complications of diabetes because her parents, who belonged to a church that believes in prayer instead of medical treatment, failed to treat her diabetes. There are around 20 such religious groups in the U.S., and in the last 25 years there have been 150 known cases of such preventable deaths in children of adherents to such groups. (from
here.)
These cases raise legal questions of religious freedom vs. child welfare. Several states have laws to protect parents from prosecution in these cases, and the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment act provides an exception that allows such states to keep federal funding.
Thoughts? Should these parents be prosecuted? Or protected from prosecution?
Jehovah Witness's are not allowed blood transfusions and carry cards specifically stating they wont accept them. When I was in the hospital with cancer I had surgery to remove the tumor and almost died because my mom refused blood transfusions.
When it seemed hopeless and I was still in a coma her love for me outweighed her pointless belief in refusing blood tranfusions.
I was 7. I remember waking up from that coma and my grandmother and mother passed out on my bed. 9 days... I couldnt walk for 20 more. (They severed all the muscles in my stomach and I needed physical therapy to learn how to walk again).
When I opened my eyes. At 7. Before I knew about the transfusion story which I wasnt told until I was 15. Thats when I began questioning god.
It was these doctors and their education that saved me from the brink of death. Not god... not prayer... The tumor removed had been shrunk by both radiation and massive amounts of chemotherapy and was still the size of a football.
At 15 when I heard that story I was obviously a teenager. I was washing dishes by hand as my mom related the story to my aunt. I was washing the inside of a glass with a sponge and the glass burst and the glass dug deep into my hand. Blood was not oozing out it was spraying. My anger was unchained. Over a stupid religious belief.
When I debate god or the belief in god I dont really care what you believe. But when your kids DIE because of your beliefs then I have issues. I was almost one of those kids.
When your religious beliefs bring your children to tears and represses and opresses them and leads them to mental disorders and psychotic episodes then I have issues.
I understand not all religious people are like this but some are... and given the scope of the ideas and power behind religious beliefs can we trust our new masses with it? Could we trust them even with atheism? Some guy who was sitting on death row murdered his whole family save his mom... He said when he looked at his mom all he could think about was getting ready for church and how god said it was wrong to kill and he stopped.... If that dude was atheist then what would have happened?
Ok... end rant.
For the record Im fine now. No cancer etc... I happen not to believe in god. You can hate me now, but I wont start believing.
