> -----Original Message----- > From: Beth In Alaska [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 12:48 AM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: Summer Camps > > I guess I believe that to withhold medical treatment in your child > interferes with the kids right to religious freedom. Its imposing the > parents religious beliefs on the child, really. If the child chooses > to not > have treatment (at age 13 that seems a reasonable age, no?) due to HER > religious beliefs thats one thing but kids younger than a certain age > should > just be treated, depite the parents beliefs. A kid isn't property. > You > can't decide to kill it based on your religious beliefs, right? So how > come > you can choosee to let it die for the same reason? > > Only adults or people of some age of consent should be able to opt out > of > life saving medical treatment. That is an adult decision.
It's a worthwhile discussion, but not a simple one. Many prominent atheists have raised the idea that any childhood religious indoctrination is "child abuse"... but is it really? Don't parents have the right to raise their children to the moral standards they hold dear? More so isn't that absolutely expected of them? As an atheist I can't understand the belief, but I suspect that your friends KNOW that transfusions are bad for their child just as I KNOW that they should be taught to tell the truth and not to hurt others. I don't understand, I can't understand it (and, honestly I think it's ignorant and stupid) but that doesn't change the fact that THEY DO. Teaching their children not to transfuse, and protecting them from that perceived evil, is as important (perhaps even more important) to your friends as any ethical or patriotic teaching that I could name. IF you believe it would seem that a painful death on Earth is worth an eternity in Heaven. Only a monster would sentence their child to an eternity of damnation to save them some, temporary pain on Earth. My son had his tonsils out: he went through painful hell. I voluntarily put him through that because I KNEW it was best for him. True believers are just as sure that their choices are best for their children. Working from this premise: how would you react if the law told you that you could not, legally, do what you KNOW is best for your child? Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;203748912;27390454;j Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:265454 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
