I read a story this morning about a couple in Oregon who were just convicted of manslaughter because they had a child born two months prematurely and died when they failed to call for medical help. They did not seek medical help because the attend a church that believes in faith healing instead of using standard medical care. (To view full story, click here.)
The story struck a real nerve with me. While I do use the American medical system, I use it very sparingly. I'm not one who believes America has the best medical care in the world--just the most expensive. I'm very skeptical of the cut and poison practice currently in use. I will use alternative solutions first. Still if I were to go into labor two months early, I would have the baby in the hospital where they do have some procedures to increase the odds of survival. The question I had to ask myself was, is it okay to judge someone for their personal beliefs using your personal standards (or the standards of the majority)?
My next question becomes, do we really have religious freedom? Are we truly free to practice a religion that does not believe in the same standard of medical care as the majority? Can the government force us into medical treatment that we do not want and do not believe in? Children have been taken away from their parents because their parents sought alternative treatment for their child's cancer instead of the poisoning that occurs with chemotherapy. Is this truly in the child's best interest?
What about a religion that practices polygamy? Who gets to decide if this practice is okay? Not all polygamists force their underage daughters into polygamist marriages. Why is polygamy not okay? They aren't hurting you or anybody else.
Who gets to decide how you live your life? By whose standards are we judged? Man's? God's? Who died and made YOU judge?
The story struck a real nerve with me. While I do use the American medical system, I use it very sparingly. I'm not one who believes America has the best medical care in the world--just the most expensive. I'm very skeptical of the cut and poison practice currently in use. I will use alternative solutions first. Still if I were to go into labor two months early, I would have the baby in the hospital where they do have some procedures to increase the odds of survival. The question I had to ask myself was, is it okay to judge someone for their personal beliefs using your personal standards (or the standards of the majority)?
My next question becomes, do we really have religious freedom? Are we truly free to practice a religion that does not believe in the same standard of medical care as the majority? Can the government force us into medical treatment that we do not want and do not believe in? Children have been taken away from their parents because their parents sought alternative treatment for their child's cancer instead of the poisoning that occurs with chemotherapy. Is this truly in the child's best interest?
What about a religion that practices polygamy? Who gets to decide if this practice is okay? Not all polygamists force their underage daughters into polygamist marriages. Why is polygamy not okay? They aren't hurting you or anybody else.
No comments:
Post a Comment