Poll: Should parents be legally required to seek medical care for children?

[steveh_131]

Christian parents put on probation for 10 years over son's death | World news | The Guardian

Should these parents be charged criminally for the death of their child?

Should all parents be required to seek medical care for their children? If so, under what conditions should it be required?

This seems like kind of a gray area for those of us with libertarian beliefs. On the one hand, we don't want the government involved in parenting. And personally, I avoid doctors and hospitals whenever possible and would raise my children to do the same.

But on the other hand, there are some truly horrid parents out there. If we can charge some with neglecting and abusing their children then is it unreasonable to charge them for not providing them with necessary medical care? We have to consider the rights of the child which are very much intertwined with the rights of the parent.

Also, were these parents singled out because they chose to utilize prayer rather than medical care? If they had been truly neglectful parents who just didn't notice or care that their child was ill, would they still have been charged criminally? What if they had chosen a natural remedy such as herbs instead of more mainstream medicine, and the child had still died?

Please discuss.

 

[ATOMonkey]

No, they should not be required.

However, if they are found to be negligent (withholding care available both fiscally and otherwise) then they should be charged criminally.

If the family simply can't afford the required care and does all within their means, then they should not be charged criminally.

If you cite religious reasons for withholding care, then you must show that you took all due care and diligence to provide care within your belief structure.

 

[Bigum1969]

Yes they should.

Unfortunately there is a wide spectrum of idiots out there that are parents.

Parents that don't take care of their kids. And, younger children can't take care of themselves. I'm not big on the masses of laws we have in this country, but protecting children is a place where government has a responsibility.

Those that don't see it that way have never been close enough to the horrible results of neglectful parents. Kids don't have a voice. The law does need to protect them.

 

[steveh_131]

Yes they should.

Unfortunately there is a wide spectrum of idiots out there that are parents.

Parents that don't take care of their kids. And, younger children can't take care of themselves. I'm not big on the masses of laws we have in this country, but protecting children is a place where government has a responsibility.

Those that don't see it that way have never been close enough to the horrible results of neglectful parents. Kids don't have a voice. The law does need to protect them.

I am curious as to where you would draw the line. At what point should it be required to seek medical care? How sick does the child need to be?

 

[rambone]

Define "illness." Define "medical care." Some people think that an illness consists of a preschooler having too much energy. Some people think that diseases can be treated by masking the symptoms instead of treating the underlying nutritional deficiencies that cause the symptoms. Modern medicine is a pretty debatable "science." A lot of the treatments are worse than the disease.

What starts off as a well-meaning program 'for the children' quickly turns into the government bullying people into buying Pharmaceutical drugs. Will parents be forced to medicate their toddler with psychotropic drugs, because the kid can't sit still? Will parents be forced to inject their kids with vaccines that they vehemently oppose? Will parents be forced to inject poisonous chemotherapy treatments into their children?

Being that some people wildly differ on opinions about what it means to seek "medical care," this is a horrifying concept actually, the more I think about it. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I'd be strongly opposed to this. Whatever fascist fool wants to force their drugs down my family's throat better bring some backup.

 

[Bigum1969]

I am curious as to where you would draw the line. At what point should it be required to seek medical care? How sick does the child need to be?

When the child's life or well-being is at stake.

And yes, this would involve people coming to some type of consensus on what these triggers would be. And no, not everyone will ever agree on this.

Adults are one thing. If you want to smoke or drink yourself to death... have at it.

But children need to be provided at least a minimum of medical care to ensure they reach the age where they can make those decisions for themselves.

 

[steveh_131]

When the child's life or well-being is at stake.

And yes, this would involve people coming to some type of consensus on what these triggers would be. And no, not everyone will ever agree on this.

Adults are one thing. If you want to smoke or drink yourself to death... have at it.

But children need to be provided at least a minimum of medical care to ensure they reach the age where they can make those decisions for themselves.

Yeah, I don't know how we would ever reach a consensus on that.

And who is criminally liable if the treatment is worse than the disease? Is the government then responsible?

Also, to clarify, I am not asking if new laws should be put in place. This is already here. These parents were charged with manslaughter for the death of their son.

 

[grimor]

My (second?)cousin died because he parents decided that praying for him was better than going to a DR.

 

[public servant]

When the child's life or well-being is at stake.

And yes, this would involve people coming to some type of consensus on what these triggers would be. And no, not everyone will ever agree on this.

Adults are one thing. If you want to smoke or drink yourself to death... have at it.

But children need to be provided at least a minimum of medical care to ensure they reach the age where they can make those decisions for themselves.

Gotta agree with this.

If you allow your child to die because you failed to provide them with adequate medical attention...you should never be allowed to see the light of day.

Some people won't agree. Care factor is 0.

Edit: There will be varying ideas on what adequate medical attention is.

 

[steveh_131]

My (second?)cousin died because he parents decided that praying for him was better than going to a DR.

May I ask what he died of?

 

[femurphy77]

I don't want the gubmint any more involved in our lives than necessary, BUT, in instances where an illness has the potential to become life threatening the parents should be required to have the child seen by medical pros.

Now somebodies going to say "but almost any illness if left untreated could have the possibility to become "potentinally" life threatening!"

Reasonable people. That's the key!


Children are unfortunately at the mercy of adults for a period of their lives and should have the opportunity to grow up to make their own stupid decisions!

 

[ATOMonkey]

Gotta agree with this.

If you allow your child to die because you failed to provide them with adequate medical attention...you should never be allowed to see the light of day.

Some people won't agree. Care factor is 0.

Do you believe people have a soul?

 

[public servant]

Do you believe people have a soul?

Yes.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Yes.

Which do you think is more important, the soul or the body?

 

[rambone]

There is no "consensus" because medicine isn't an exact science. And given that some people wholeheartedly reject the treatments that mainstream drug-peddlers advocate, this is nothing short of Fascism. It even solidifies the corporate-governmental merger of interests against the will of the individual. I'm sure pharmaceutical companies love the idea of forced medicine.

Where are all the "conservatives" who want the government out of our health care? Freedom of medical choice? When did socialized fascist medicine become so popular?

 

[Jay]

I think that "reasonable" is the key. I'm not a lawyer, by a long shot, but I've seen many cases that involve what a "reasonable person" would do. In 15 years of being an EMT, I've seen many "unreasonable" decisions made by parents that have resulted in serious injury/illness to children.

 

[griegeba]

We choose to let Docs kill babies everyday. The government gave Planned Parenthood (ironic name) 300 million dollars last year!! So I guess these parents are bad!

 

[Expat]

We had a church several years ago that believed all medical was evil, I don't hear much about them any more, maybe they all died out.

A family of them were involved in a bad accident. A couple of the children were critically injured. The parents refused to allow the EMTs to take them. As I recall the high sheriff took them into his custody and got them to the hospital. Seems like one died because they were too late but the other one or two were saved. Never heard a word of criticism about the Sheriff in the community.

 

[public servant]

Which do you think is more important, the soul or the body?

Both equally.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Both equally.

Would you save the body at the expense of the soul?