It should always be considered if the reasons for refusal of medical care by a parent is because of Religious Beliefs.

Jehova's Witnesses will not allow blood transfers and I witnesses a young school boy suffer a long distressing illness and die because of this. The death was unnecessary and the Courts should have intervened but they did not. Respect for the parents religion and the fact that the Doctor the parents chose was also a Jehova's Witness, so therefore no court action was taken to save the childs means the parents killed that child because and for that religion.

I have also seen in my opinion the incorrect medication of chldren - see my post Cultural Munchausens Syndrome.

Pharmacological medication for personality disorders is sometimes using a baseball bat when a feather will do the same thing just as effectivly. It is also a quick fix when finding out what the true problem is and assisting will take time.

One of the main reasons why pharmacological "cures" for young people are used is because parents/carers sometimes say to the therapist that they cannot cope or the child is out of control. The therapist then has to decide without a months 24/7 observation in the home that if the parent is saying the sitation is that bad, then the parent must be accurate and therefore medication is the only way to control the young person or child. Sometimes medication is given to the child to assist the parent to cope. Surely treating the parent directly would be a better thing.

When there is refusal of medical treatment on the grounds of religious belief from what I have witnessed the Courts should intervene every time.

Any religious intervention in the treatment of any medical condition is a dangerous backwards step in any Country or Community. In my opinion it is wrong to murder a child because of religious belief which at times refusal of treatment by a parent or carer is.

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