Tennessee Repeals Law Allowing Faith Healers To Let Their Kids Die


Tennessee has had a secular victory this week. The state repealed the law that allows “faith healer” parents to choose prayer over medicine. They can now be prosecuted for child abuse and for not getting their children needed medical help.

Recently, there was a story of a woman who is suing her parents for not getting her treatment. She has a congenital heart defect that could have been fixed when she was a child. But, now she is permanently disabled and is having to get a heart-lung transplant.

The controversial law allowing “spiritual treatment” instead of ACTUAL treatment was passed 1994. It shielded parents from prosecution if:

“….the child is being provided treatment by spiritual means through prayer alone, in accordance with the tenets or practices of a recognized church or religious denomination by a duly accredited practitioner of the recognized church or religious denomination, in lieu of medical or surgical treatment.”

The bill to reverse this measure was backed by the Kentucky-based group “Children’s Healthcare is Legal Duty.” The President of the group, Rita Swan, said:

“CHILD believes all parents, regardless of their religious belief, should have a legal duty to obtain medical care for their child when necessary to prevent serious harm. Courts have never ruled that parents have a constitutional right to abuse or neglect children in the name of religion, and Tennessee should not give them a statutory right to do so.”

The Freedom From Religion Attorney Sam Grover said:

“The victims here are children, too young to comprehend or consent to a course of action that may drastically increase their chances of death or permanent disfigurement. Religious freedom ends when a person’s actions threaten the health or safety of others. We do not let religious parents beat their children, so why do we let them withhold life-saving treatment?”

Exactly, children have to rely on their parents to make the correct medical decision. If you are an adult and don’t want medical treatment, that’s fine. But, let your kids live, please! There is no room for religion in medical care! Prayer is NOT a substitute for medicine.

Featured image via flickr, available under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Hi, I'm from Huntsville, AL. I'm a Liberal living in the Bible Belt, which can be quite challenging at times. I'm passionate about many issues including mental health, women's rights, gay rights, and many others. Check out my blog weneedtotalkaboutmentalhealth.com