Robot Heart: Sex, Religion, and Politics

Religious exemption and medical abuse

alicia:

Who defines what is in the best interest of the child? Most of the time it should definitely be their parents and not society or the government. (I’m not talking about parents having the “right” to deny necessary life-saving medical care for their child.) Obviously this does not include any abuse, but as a parent you shouldn’t feel pressured into doing something you don’t think is best for your child or your family just because it is what mainstream society is doing.

Who defines what is in the best interest of the child? Who defines abuse? We live in a country where the government has already decided it does, not parents. The American government decides everything from who gets custody of children in a divorce to whether or not children are removed from homes. America assumes that parenting is a privilege, not a right, and if you screw it up, you lose your privileges. Granted, our CPS is so weak and underfunded that often, even the most grossly abused/neglected children are ignored until it is too late, but.