Medical Neglect in the Name of God - PART 1 OF 2 (with Rita Swan)

TheThinkingAtheist

The Thinking Atheist

Science, Society & Culture, Education

4.8 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2016

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There are two words that, too often, mean the difference between life and death: Religious. Exemption. Individuals and families who reject necessary medical care in favor of prayer and adherence to strict church restrictions often pay with their lives, or the lives of their children.

Rita Swan is the director of CHILD, INC, and she has firsthand experience with this. Rita has since dedicated her life to child advocacy and the fight to protect children from (often well-meaning) parents who keep them far from hospital care, and far from the health solutions they desperately need.

It's a difficult subject, but a necessary discussion about faith, parental responsibility, and the need for real-world solutions to real-world problems.

This is part one of a two-part show on this subject. Part two features Dr. Paul Offit, author of the book, "Bad Faith: When Religious Belief Undermines Modern Medicine," which airs February 2, 2016.

CHILD, INC LINKS:
http://www.childrenshealthcare.org
http://www.idahochildren.org

Transcript

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0:00.0	With BT broadband and TV, you can say goodbye to boredom and hello to...
0:04.6	Huh?
0:30.0	Okay, here we go. The step-by-three, two, one, action!
0:36.6	Assume nothing.
0:38.4	Branch ball face blasphemy.
0:40.6	Question. Everything.
0:42.6	Find it extremely hard to imagine. Open your eyes.
0:46.6	It is quite alright to be an atheist.
0:48.8	The fastest growing group of people in the country has been measured as being those who have no belief or who are atheists.
0:55.0	You don't have to be apologetic or quiet about it.
0:57.6	Howling the opposition.
0:59.2	You see religion on a hundred fronts losing the argument.
1:03.2	And start thinking.
1:08.2	This is the thinking atheist worldwide.
1:16.6	The year was 1986.
1:19.4	Robin Twitchell was born to parents Ginger and David, both parents were Christian scientists.
1:26.8	One day Robin started screaming and vomiting.
1:30.2	Robin's parents didn't take him to the emergency room that day.
1:33.8	The following day they again didn't call a physician or take him to the hospital.
1:39.6	Instead they called the Global Public Relations Manager for the Christian Science Church to get some advice.
1:46.4	And he gave the assurances and told them that they were well within the law
1:51.0	to be true to their faith and not to pursue medical treatment outside the church.
	...

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