Murdering kids

For the second time in the last few months, a child from a faith-healing family in Oregon has died of an illness that could easily have been treated. The Associated Press reports that 16-year-old Neil Beagley died Tuesday of heart failure resulting from a urinary tract blockage that could have removed by a urologist. Even the simple insertion of a catheter could have saved his life. A medical examiner said the boy most likely had a congenital condition that constricted his urinary tract, and there were signs that this wasn't the first blockage he suffered. And suffered is the operative word here. Gladstone, Ore., police Sgt. Lynne Benton said the boy had been sick for a week, and church members had gathered with his family to pray on Sunday when the youngster's condition worsened. Lot of good that did. Maybe God was busy listening to the prayers of pro athletes. They're always thanking Him for their victories. A few months ago, Beagley's 15-month-old cousin, Ava Worthington, died in her home of pneumonia and a blood infection. Her parents, Carl and Raylene Worthington, shown above, face charges of manslaughter and criminal mistreatment. Their lawyers plan a "religious freedom" defense. As in, we have the freedom to condemn our own children to death? Oregon passed a law in 1999 removing a religious shield for parents who rely solely on prayer to treat sick children, and the Worthingtons are the first to be prosecuted under it. Unfortunately, Beagley's parents will probably avoid prosecution, because the law allows kids 14 and older to make their own decisions on accepting medical care, and Benton said the boy apparently refused treatment. Of course he did. The poor kid had been brainwashed by lunatics since he was a toddler. The 1999 law, which clearly is too weak, came about after KATU-TV in Portland, Ore., reported on a medical examiner's estimate that 20 children of people affiliated with Followers of Christ church, the outfit the Worthingtons and Beagleys belong to, had died of curable illnesses that went untreated. I'm guessing that the penalty for violating the law is not as severe as it should be. These people should be charged with first-degree, premeditated murder and spend the rest of their lives in prison. Heck, I'd even favor the death penalty, because children should not die just because their parents are crazy.