Robot Heart: Sex, Religion, and Politics

Religious exemption and medical abuse

Religion has yet to be allowed as an excuse for parents abusing, neglecting or otherwise failing to promote the well-being of their child. I don’t think we should start doing so now.

Contrarily, it always been used as a justification for treating children differently for years. Wisconsin v. Yoder said the Amish do not have to send their children to school past eighth grade. I don’t know of any challenges to allowing children to stay home on religious holidays. Many states have religious exemptions to mandatory immunization programs. Many states have explicit religious exemptions to their medical abuse laws. The question is how comfortable we are having the majority trample a minority’s freedom of conscience because we think we know what’s best for their children.

But as I pointed out in the case of marriage, there are occasions where the best interests of the child are put above religious interests.

Regardless, of the examples you provide, immunizations are preventative medicine rather than a treatment for an existing ailment and an education is not an absolute necessity to survival. There is a big difference between getting a shot to prevent an illness you may or may not get, and not receiving treatment to cure an illness you already have and which will almost certainly kill you. Until the child is old enough to decide for themselves whether they want to die for their parents’ religious beliefs, I think we should assume that it is best to preserve their health until they reach their majority, at which point they can make that decision for themselves.