Article July 6, 1987 Issue

Second Thought

Looking again at news and commentary

From The Cincinnati Enquirer, April 4, 1987

"Freedom of religion is one of the most firmly rooted features of American life. 'Congress,' says the First Amendment, 'shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.' Almost as firmly rooted is the tradition that the state has both the right and responsibility to intervene to protect the life and health of children. Whenever two long-honored rights come into conflict, the debate is both heated and difficult.

"Precisely such a debate is under way in the Ohio General Assembly with the proposal ... that parents who invoke their religious convictions to block medical treatment of their children, with injurious consequences to the children, should not escape prosecution.

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