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Originally Posted by bufftabby
Also, that's not even to say that I agree that religious beliefs permit any sort of egregious behavior, along the lines of letting children go without medical care OR bombing buildings.
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No, I got that.
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I think it's more of a question of personal autonomy as it extends to one's children, and religion as the basis for these decisions is irrelevant. If I don't think my child should receive treatment, it shouldn't matter why or why not; what really matters is whether I should be able to make this decision or not.
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The courts and the laws disagree with you. 'Should' does not come in to play. Parents are not generally allowed to refuse standard medical care for their children, regardless of the reason. This is considered criminal neglect.
Because children are not considered able to make responsible medical decisions for themselves. Parents are expected to make those responsible decisions until such time as the law recognizes the children as adults. Failure to do so (regardless of the reason) is illegal, and at that point the state has the duty
and the right to step in.
U.S.C.A. Title 42, Chapter 67, Sec. 5106a orders states to provide services through CPS against medical neglect up to and including competency hearings against the parents should they withhold care.
SHOULD you be able to make that decision? Yes. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing if you're going to invoke some esoteric belief as an excuse for not doing what is in your child's best interest. So the state provides for that.
Once again, refer back to my opinion WRT idealists and what
'should' be.