McFarland-Smith letter: Child neglect

Thank you Rita Swan of CHILD (Children’s Healthcare is a Legal Duty) for your eye-opening advertisement in a local paper. Up to one to two children die each month due to parent’s neglect? That can’t be. But of course, as you point out, these deaths are not illegal. That’s right, Idaho sees nothing wrong with this level of neglect. Idaho is one of nine states that allow religiously motivated neglect, homicide, manslaughter and capital murder in cases where a parent denies medical care to their child. Legislation in other states has significantly reduced deaths in the states that have removed the exemptions. However, Idaho lawmakers so far can’t find it in themselves to see the value of a child’s life over religious dogma. I wish there was another way to help religion guide us toward a kinder and more reasonable direction, especially when it comes to a child’s well-being, but state oversight via the courts seems to be the only way.

This story was originally published March 10, 2017 at 7:48 PM with the headline "McFarland-Smith letter: Child neglect."