I found the following story from a link on the SL forums:
Controversy swirled this week over Nebraska’s law requiring mandatory blood testing of newborns for various diseases. Recently, a couple would not allow their infant boy to be tested, citing religious reasons, but because the law has no opt-out provision, the county obtained an order from a juvenile-court judge to test the baby anyway. This permitted sheriff’s deputies to take the nursing six-week-old baby from his parents. Additionally, the next day, the judge ordered that the baby remain in foster care until the preliminary results came back and confirmed further testing wasn’t needed...
Read the full commentary here:
http://archive.patriotpost.us/pub/07-44_Digest/page-5.php
Here's another story about parents facing jailtime for failure to immunize for chicken pox of all things:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/US/story?id=3866502&page=1
I must say that this type of thing frightens me.
I think it's great that blood testing for newborns can detect potentially fatal conditions and save lives. I think it's great that immunizations can save children from potentially fatal diseases. Is it great that the government mandates these procedures because they've been deemed to be in the best interest of children? Asolutely not.
It is up to PARENTS to decide what is in the best interest of children - not the state.
Will some parents make wrong choices? Absolutely. Yes it is sad, but it is their right. When we take away the rights of bad parents to make choices for their children, we are also taking those rights from GOOD parents. And the good parents of today will one day be considered bad for things like *gasp* refusing to give their children Ritalin or refusing to have their daughters injected with a potentially harmful vaccine for STDs. Oh wait, that's already happening.
We good parents think it's okay for a judge to decide that Brittney Spears needs a coach and parenting classes, but what about when the government decides WE need a coach. And what about when that coach recommends removing OUR children - you know for their own best interest.
It would be a tragedy to have my child spend any time in foster care - even just one day. Children are regularly neglected and abused in foster homes. There are many wonderful Christian families who foster children, but don't assume all, or even the majority, are that way.
These are the tactics of our government:
1. Fear, fear, fear! Danger, danger, danger! Be afraid! I'll protect you. Give more of your rights to me.
2. We know you're informed and capable of making good decisions for your children, but what about all those other parents out there? You know, the negligent ones who let their kids play tag, and *gasp* aren't preparing their 2 year olds for the SAT. We trust you, Ms. Wise, but for the sake of those poor children, give more of your rights to me.
How long before Ms. Wise is considered Ms. Negligent? How long before her children are placed in foster care until CPS can investigate?
Right now, I'm not under fire. We use bike helmets. We vaccinate our children. Other than homeschooling, which is becoming more mainstream, most of our family's decisions are PC. But that doesn't mean this Wise family won't one day be considered Negligent. I can almost bet it will happen in this nation of cowards. Also pointing the finger at myself here...
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1 comment:
Excellent post. Your words highlight many of my own concerns with the growing pressures on the state to "be responsible for" what parents are doing. I've seen these things expressed even on homeschooling forums... "but if the government doesn't ensure that everyone's receiving a good education, then what?"
Well, guess what? That's really NOT the gov't's job. It's my job as mom. If I fail, my kids will be more likely to fail, yes. Should churches be involved in helping those whose families aren't loving and protecting their kids? Absolutely. Should the gov't? Not unless, like you mention, a crime is being committed.
But opting out of a relatively new vaccine for chicken pox, or opting out of Vitamin K when babies for thousands of years did without it, or opting out of state-run education.... these kinds of things aren't the gov't's purview. It frightens me to see even "aware" parents parroting the idea that the government is responsible, when the precise opposite is true.
Thanks for an insightful post.
~Jess
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