Living And Dying Off A Prayer, Part II

Writing about the tragic case of Madeline Kara Neuman reminded me of other atrocities that have occurred, and may still be occurring, in the name of religion over the rights of a child.

As I mentioned earlier, Tim Schilke, writing at GMToday, reminds of other children that have died via religion:

Some comparisons have been made between Madeline’s situation and a 2003 Milwaukee case, during which a 2-year-old autistic child was crushed to death by a family pastor during an "attempted exorcism." But that case does not appear to be a direct test of the faith healing exception, due to the additional physical harm added by the pastor during the exorcism. In that case, the pastor was convicted of a lesser form of child abuse, a charge that is hard to imagine for the Neumann parents, considering the sad state of Wisconsin statutes.

Another local case that didn't get nearly as much publicity occurred ten years ago. The case involved an allegation of child abuse that was committed at the Greendale Baptist Academy.
The allegations involved the principal striking students with an instrument. I saw pictures obtained during the investigation that showed welts on the child's back. As the case was being investigated, the child told the social workers that several other children were being likewise maltreated.

At the time, the GBA was also affiliated with Bob Jones University, who was a supporter of then Governor Tommy Thompson. Before the investigation could start, the Thompson administration intervened and delayed the investigation. This prevented the social workers assigned to the case from following protocol. This, in turn, led to a lawsuit that ended up in the State Appellate Court, which ruled in favor of the GBA. The right wing American Family Association crowed about the successful fight against "Big Brother." What they did do, in reality, is advocated for and perpetuated child abuse.

The AFA claimed that the parents' rights were violated by not being notified before the investigation. The fact that they didn't need to be under state law was undermined due to the length of time before the workers were allowed to do their job. Totally ignored in this case were the rights of the children.

I have no problem with people practising the religion of their choice. That is a constitutionally protected right, after all. But, as with all other rights, there are limits, and that limit is when it infringes on the rights of others. Under State Statutes, spanking is legal, but is shouldn't be done with an instrument, or so hard, that it leaves a mark. Then it crosses into child abuse. In the case of GBA, and with Madeline, the children's' rights are being violated. Not only that, these children are vulnerable, whereas the parents are not. This alone should give priority to the well being of the children overall.