Faith Healing Exemption
Idaho’s contentious faith-healing exemption statute, allows families to cite religious reasons for medical decisions without fear of being charged with neglect or abuse. In recent years there has been a push from out of state vaccine advocate using a vocal minority organization to change this statute, thereby allowing the prosecution of parents who do not use ‘standard treatment’ protocol for their children.
Health Freedom Idaho doesn’t take a position on the “faith healing” aspect per se as much as a government mandate and their involvement of the health/medical care of children. The government should not have the power to determine a parents choice of care over the child.
Year after year, legislation has been brought up by an organization to force parental compliance to state standards of medical care. Each year, legislators have responded saying the protection of religious freedom and parental authority must be upheld in Idaho. The statistics from the governor’s task force to determine causes of death for Idaho children revealed that more children die under a doctor’s care than those who have never received treatment.
Where is the Pressure to Change Statue Coming From?
The Faith Healing Exemption discussion and the subsequent work group sessions were driven by the media campaign founded upon a false narrative and bogus statistics which has been promoted by an out-of-state mandatory vaccination statute advocate. Ultimately the nature of the driving force behind this movement revealed the practice to force compliance of government mandated treatments by CPS and Health and Welfare.
These are the THREE PRIMARY CONCERNS which lead to the involvement of Health Freedom Idaho.
1. A False Narrative is being used to campaign for a law change. Unsubstantiated statistics are being used to manipulate public opinion.
The “Let Them Live” media campaign is driven by a false narrative of an Idaho woman who claims her rare heart condition was not treated by her parent’s involvement in a religious sect that refuses all medical treatment for their children. Mariah Walton’s mother has refuted the claim that she was trying to treat her daughter’s heart condition with prayer. Mariah’s parents were UNAWARE of the rare heart defect. They used holistic care, chiropractic care as well as prayer to provide for their daughter’s asthmatic childhood symptoms. Bruce Wingate, April Hoy and other leaders of the campaign have been made aware that Mariah’s condition should not be construed as ‘faith healing’, they continue to promote the false narrative for political gain. Sara Walton Brady’s testimony at Child At Risk:Faith Healing Exemption Workgroup
Recently Bruce Wingate stated on his website that due to the fact they were unsuccessful in the Legislature to pass laws they should manipulate public opinion. Walking three graveyards in Idaho, their organization gathered names, birth and death dates and tout that these children would have lived had they been to a doctor. <see their spreadsheet> Their own website reveals plans to hire the media, created emotionally driven campaign based on false statistics, in hope to pressure the Legislature to change the statute reducing parental authority in the lives of our children.
2. Paul Offit’s involvement in changing Idaho’s exemption. (see our Article on Offit’s Campaign in Idaho) See commenting that parents who don’t comply with his opinion on vaccines should have their children removed by the State.
Offit, an outspoken promoter of vaccine mandates, has recently prompting the removal of parental authority claiming that a child should be removed from parents and forced into government mandated vaccines. Offits video
3. Revelation of Ada County Prosecutor’s opinion that children should be treated by force under threat of CPS.
This revelation is most disturbing to Health Freedom Idaho members and to Idaho’s citizens. Loving Parents who actively seek health and healing through means that don’t line up with the AMA are being forced by the courts to follow a standard of treatment that isn’t guaranteed to be effective or safe. Watch her testimony: https://youtu.be/Y4dTXtkVya8
Idaho citizens are liberty minded individuals who realize that our state is great because of our willingness to protect the freedoms of others even if their opinions differ than our. Our legislators are intelligent and hard working and won’t be duped by false news and media manipulation.
Next time you read an article in Boise Weekly, take a moment to comment and enlighten others reading the same article.
See Follow Up Article https://healthfreedomidaho.com/proposed-legislation-against-religion-a-blatent-violation-of-the-constitution
