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LINK Idaho's 'faith-healing' exemption has led to more senseless child deaths

Idaho is one of only six states where belief in “faith-healing” can help you escape charges of negligent homicide, manslaughter, or capital murder. So if a child dies because her Christian Science parents refused to take her to a doctor, those parents won’t be punished.

Consider the state’s laws regarding children and vulnerable adults, which includes this section:

The practice of a parent or guardian who chooses for his child treatment by prayer or spiritual means alone shall not for that <strong>reason</strong> alone be construed to have violated the duty of care to such child.

This isn’t merely hypothetical. Idaho is home to the Followers of Christ sect, and its members have been in the news many times over after their kids died from preventable diseases like pneumonia and sepsis. Because the state won’t prosecute those members, they’ve never changed their behavior. The 2018 Emmy-nominated documentary “No Greater Law” even covered the denomination to understand why members seemed so willing to sacrifice their kids for no rational reason.

This problem has a fairly straight-forward solution: Idaho politicians just need to pass a law removing any and all faith-healing exemptions. When children die from preventable diseases due solely to their parents’ religious extremism, those parents need to be sent to jail. Full stop. Religion should never be used as a Get Out of Jail Free card.

snytiger6 9 Jan 19
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12 comments

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2

In NH I got new neighbors; a guy & his 3 kids. He started out with a wife but without medical treatment (don't believe in it) she died of tongue cancer. Since the kids were home schooled and now left alone during the day while dad worked and they had no more schooling. They began hanging out at my fencing to watch my dogs and I got to know the younger 2 girls. I told them they were a free entity and didn't have to believe parents if what they did was wrong. He set one of the girls broken arm.with no medical training.
I kept telling the 2 younger girls to walk away when they were old enough if they didn't believe in make believe healing etc. One did leave when old enough and they all moved to FL. So 2 to the cult and 1 free. They won't let her visit her sisters. She's the smart one. When your parent's are your guide to a cult what do you you do? I was happy to hear one left.

That is so sad. It is a parents/guardians duty to care, protect, guide, and teach their children to prepare them for independence. When parents/guardians choose to put them in danger then they should also suffer the consequences.

@Betty What was particularly sad is when the mother joined the cult she cut off all ties to her family as did the husband. I am not allowed to see my grandchildren and I explained that to the girl that left the cult. She immediately called her mothers family and now has support.

@K9Kohle You helped one get away and that is a wonderful thing. 🤗

3

So the tough part it, where do you draw the line? JWs denying blood and blood products for their children? Vaccines? Snake handling? Abstinence- only education? All of these things could result in serious harm and death. I do not know what the answer is, here.
While it sucks that they're not just killing themselves, I think we should try to get right with @Barnie2years way of thinking and be glad they're killing children who have a higher likelihood of growing up to be stupid, religious, and/or Republican. Personally, the fewer of all three of the groups, the better off we'll all be.

2

It will be dog’s(god) will even when the person is allowed to die!!!

7

That law is not going to change while Idaho is infested with lethal mental defectives.

Who (other than you) even inferred Idaho is "infected" with lethal mental defectives?

@Alienbeing They have a faith healing exemption law on the books. What else do you need to know?

@Flyingsaucesir I have no time for @Alienbeing. His debilitating personal insecurities bore me.

@anglophone As noted and previously PROVEN, many times, what you have no time for is facts.

Rant on.

@Flyingsaucesir Even though poorly stated in your reply, that answer clearly was not an answer to my question. The question WAS, and remains, why does the mere fact that a State has a law making no sense, or worse, WHY does that fact even infer the entire state is "infected" with mental defectives?

I am sure that most residents of Idaho, have no clue such a law is on the books.

I'd bet your State has laws you know absolutly nothing about, yet could affect you.

@anglophone makes tons of unsupported observations and accusations. He never has proof of any.

Get it?

@Alienbeing Here's why I don't think @anlgophone's comment is off base:

  1. An infection usually does not affect every cell of the body. In fact it may be limited to a small area.
  2. It may be that not every citizen of Idaho knows about their state's faith healing exemption law, but some surely do. They probably include legislators, lawyers, judges, clerks, cops, clergy, journalists, and their readers. They may well number in the tens if thousands. It's a reasonable assumption.

@Flyingsaucesir The first sentence of your reply is wrong. An infection starts out local, but all infections can and do spread thoghout one's body and if it spreads enough, it kills. More simply put, once an infection starts, if not treated and your body can't fight it off, you eventually die. I add that IF your statement about "local" was correct that would put your statement indirect conflict with @alglophone's statement which was that Idaho was "infested" which certainly is not "local".

Your second sentence starts off wrong by saying "It may be......" There is NO question about "it may be", it is, without doubt. Yes some do know of the law, and equally undoubtable is the fact that those who do are in a large minority.

With the two corrections I poit out it is obvious that @anglophone posts (many times I might add) incorrect statements, many of which have been corrected, as was the statement currently under discussion.

At best @anglophine is ignorant, more probable is @anglophone is a socialist hack.

Now why do you think @anglophone has a point?

@Flyingsaucesir I have no time for the mental defective and emotional defective that is @Alienbeing.

@anglophone You have plenty of time, and you just proved it gain. As we all know what you really have no time for is facts.

8

And why hasn't the state of Idaho repealed its faith healing law? Because any legislator voting for such a bill, or governor signing it, would be taking the official position that modern science is more powerful, more effective, more curative than God. And they would rather be re-elected than save the lives of untold numbers of children. In other words, these politicians are useless scum.

Good to see you realize that politiicans are generally "useless scum". That observation is true for BOTH major political parties.

@Alienbeing Niether party is ALL bad, but the MAGAt Republicans certainly qualify as useless scum.

@Flyingsaucesir As does the Squad.

@Alienbein At least the squad acknowledge climate science and propose positive action (unlike most Republicans, who put their short-term profits and lifestyles ahead of their own children's and grandchildrens' futures. Republican selfishness is also on full display in their refusal to entertain reasonable gun regulations).

3

I am surprised the Feds can't do something. A State should not have the Authority to legitimize Manslaughter. All FUNDING from the Federal Government should be STOPPED until they fix this MURDERING OF INNOCENT CHILDREN. This is BS

6

As long as they are only killing their own kids, have at it. It kind of goes against their "replacement theory" attitude and if one good virus happens to get into their community it could wipe them out completely. But then if you believe your teachings are the true word of god, then allowing him to decide if you should exist seems like a fair test of faith.

You're a hard man, Barnie 😂

@Flyingsaucesir given the world population, if the lemmings want to thin out their own herd, especially in the name of their god, that is their prerogative. Same as the Amish being allowed to only school their kids to eighth grade.

2

You bring up some good points in the last paragraph of your post.

6

These religious exemptions need to be abolished.

The whole concept is crazy. People who want them are literally saying:

"I have a bunch of crazy irrational beliefs with no evidence to support them, therefore laws that apply to everyone else should not apply to me"

BD66 Level 8 Jan 19, 2023
6

Your last paragraph says it all very nicely. This is because "faith healing" is simply a copout.

And largely non existent, it’s all based on fantasy.

6

And better yet, take the rest of their children away too.

4

Nothing surprising anymore. These are the types who deserve to get thrown into a pool of acid.

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