Child dies because parents prefer faith over doctors

Posted by on March 28, 2008

Read this story today. It really reminded me of an episode of ER where a woman refused to allow her daughter to receive treatment for AIDS because she didn’t believe the disease was real and that it was a government conspiracy to sell pharmaceuticals.

I am not one to pick on religious people. Everyone has their right to believe whatever they want. I have my own beliefs. But at the end of the day, should you not do everything you possibly can to help someone? Even if I believe God is my best friend, I would do whatever I could to try and insure that my children are safe and healthy.

Faith is indeed a powerful force, but should you not consider the reality of the situation. In this case, this kid could likely have been treated if she had been brought to a doctor and probably would have survived. To me, this is a case of parental neglect. Instead of actually doing something about the child’s illness, they sat on their knees and prayed that somehow things would magically get better on their own.

Yes, I do believe in miracles, and in my own way, I do believe in God, but I do not believe that you as a good moral person can sit idly by and just use hope to make things better. Hope is a powerful force, but I would prefer to use hope AND whatever else I can to insure my children’s health.

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