Bioethics: Do parents harm their children when they refuse medical treatment based on religious grounds?

Question

I need the pros and cons for this debate.. I've been assigned to defend the "No" parents do not harm their children when they do this, but I don't agree with this so im having trouble finding info to help my stance. Any info, suggestions, etc would be greatly appreciated. But i would also like some "yes" it harms them points so i can find rebutals to them too. Thanks!

Answer 1

On the 'no' side, you can point out that it is an individual body and should be the choice of the individual. (same argument as pro-lifers). There are also points on adverse reaction and long-term effects.

On the 'yes' side you have child welfare, and quality of life.

Answer 2

Well, having been raised with one parent who was against medical treatment, I can tell you that it was pretty ridiculous.

I never even had a vaccination until I was 10, even though the schools required it. The religion card was played, and I went to school regardless. I wonder what would have happened if I'd brought those highly contagious preventable childhood diseases with me to school? Like measles or something...

I had asthma for years and it wasn't diagnosed until I had to be taken to the emergency room because I couldn't breathe.

As for the "no" side of the argument, I can say that I survived. A few trips to the emergency room, but having 2 brothers that's pretty common. Really, so much of modern medicine is preventative, and not actually necessary.

And, one must consider that the government should not have the right to tell parents how to raise their children. (So long as the children are not suffering abuse, of course.) Freedom of religion is very important to this country. What a family decides is best for them isn't something that the government should be allowed to needlessly interfere with. Personal decisions should not be subject to legal control, especially those that do not affect others.

Answer 3

It would be hard to argue this from the negative side. In order to understand why parents would choose not to seek medical attention, you need to understand the thoughts behind it.

There is a direct correlation between religious belief and lack of mental development/education. This does not mean that religious people are less intelligent but that they have a tendency to not seek higher schooling in hard sciences or even classical liberal arts. This also indicates a tendency to "accept on faith" statements rather than analyzing and researching them for accuracy. Note this is a tendency not a hard and fast rule.

If people do not understand science/medicine or its methods and processes, they tend to dismiss it as it was someone's subjective opinion i.e. equivalent to grandma's cure-all or any other "old wives' tale". In this light, it is very easy to choose "faith" over medicine, espcially as any "personal experience" story is just as believable as medical studies.

So, here are some of the rational that they would give:
1. My deity answers prayer and to seek medicine would be an act of doubt.
2. Other people in my religious organization have been healed therefore I don't need medicine.
3. Scientists and Doctors don't really know what they are doing or they don't understand *everything* about humans.
4. Studies are funded by drug companies and are biased to sell more drugs.
5. My friend or a friend of my cousin went to a Doctor and they actually got worse.
6. A kid somewhere got sick from a vaccination.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

I had to do a presentation on this exact topic in my bioethics class in college. Of course, we were saying "Hell yes they harm their kids," but one of the arguments we came across doing our research was that the parents are looking out for the child's spiritual welfare instead of the temporary physical welfare. We also heard that in a country like the US where religious freedom is so emphasized, the healthcare community and the government should respect the choices parents make for their children.

Good luck on your debate! You've got a really difficult topic, but you can do it if you reach. You might consider talking to some scientologists and jehovah's witnesses to get their take and see their reasons behind refusing medicine.

edit: People giving me thumbs-downs, whats the deal?! I don't agree that those parents are right, but I'm just answering a question! Get a life, seriously! And wondermus, you clearly have never participated in debate, but generally, people don't get to pick their side. They draw it out of a hat or flip a coin or some other random assignment and they are stuck with it.

Answer 5

Argh, I'm so tempted to list all the 'yes' reasons but I know that's all you'll be thinking about when you do your debate. x]
But listen to those previous two answers- about how they're looking out for the childs spiritual welfae etc.
You could also draw a comparison about how it could be culture shock as well- different people have different values.
Argh. Laptop's battery is dying.
Good luck!

Elliot- many times, people are assigned a side to debate, because there are quite a few issues [such as this one] that about 98% of people would agree on. It also allows for an individual to do their research etc.

Answer 6

Of course it harms the children. How a society that claims to support both children's rights and freedom of religion can allow a child's rights to be sacrificed for their parents' religion is beyond me.

I suppose your best bet is to argue that the government shouldn't interfere with the personal liberties of the parents. But of course the other side will probably counter by saying that the parents shouldn't interfere with the personal liberties of the child, and they're entirely right.

Answer 7

In response to the no position, why should a government force people to do what parents don't want to do with their own children, and where is the line drawn?

Fascism is the result of a government that wants to continually meddle in the affairs of individuals. Don't you believe in personal liberty? I can say that non-religious parents "harm" their children by eating at McDonald's too much.

Answer 8

You're having trouble finding support for your stance, because you picked the losing side. Anyone with two neurons can see that it's better to seek professional medical help than it is to deny it.