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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 3-page paper argues that, from a legal perspective, parents can't refuse medical treatment to their children because of religious beliefs. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_MTrelimedi.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
for not providing medical treatment to their 17-year-old daughter (who was 16-years-old, deemed a "mature minor" at the time of her death). The Nixons religious beliefs prohibited them from seeking
medical care, and they turned to prayer instead. The Nixons attempted to appeal the sentence, commenting that their daughter was old enough to receive medical treatment, and she opted not
to, meaning they should not be sentenced. The irony is that daughter Shannon died of complications from diabetic acidosis, a treatable malady that doesnt require much intervention (aside from medication).
The question we ask here is, can parents refuse to have their children treated by doctors because of religious beliefs? Lets
examine the case, which went to appeal. Shannons right to privacy wasnt an issue, the judges pointed out, as the parents still
had a duty to override her decision when her life was in immediate danger (Superior Court, State of Pennsylvania). The ruling pointed out that in Commonwealth vs. Cottam (1992), in
which defendants refused to provide food to their 14-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter for a six-week period and argued that their children were old enough to "voluntarily exercise their religious
beliefs by refraining from eating," the court didnt agree. The court held that even if the children were mature enough to exercise their religious beliefs, it didnt let parents off
the hook as the children were still in their custody (Superior Court, State of Pennsylvania). The defendants, therefore, had a duty to their "mature minor," which overrode Shannons religious beliefs,
as the medical condition was life-threatening (Superior Court, State of Pennsylvania). The defendants also stated that the Child Protective Services Act
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