PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) Lawyers for two Oregon City parents charged in the faith-healing death of their young daughter will ask a judge next month to dismiss the case.
Lawyers for Raylene and Carl Worthington cite several reasons for requesting a dismissal, including the Oregon Constitution, which they claim protects the Worthington’s right to religious freedom.
The Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office may still file a response. Chief Deputy District Attorney Greg Horner declined to comment on the Worthington’s motion.
Medical examiners say the couple’s 15-month-old daughter, Ava Worthington, died last March of treatable pneumonia. Her parents never sought medical treatment because they belong to a church that relies on faith healing instead of doctors and hospitals.
In June, the little girl’s uncle, 16-year-old Neil Jeffrey Beagley, died of complications from a urinary-tract blockage. A deputy state medical examiner said the boy apparently suffered for years from the intensely painful but medically treatable condition.
The teen’s parents, Jeffrey Dean Beagley and Marci Rae Beagley (who are also the parents of Raylene Worthington), are facing charges of criminally negligent homicide.
A hearing on the Worthingtons’ motion is scheduled for Jan. 7.
Copyright 2008 Religion News Service. All rights reserved. No part of this transmission may be distributed or reproduced without written permission.
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posted December 12, 2008 at 6:48 pm
If the Prosecuting lawyers lose these cases the lives of children who live under this “faith healing” religion will not be protected from abuse in the United States of America.
posted December 12, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Do they think if their religion mandates killing someone (which is not so far from what it does mandate) the state of Oregon would have to let them do it? When will the radical religious stop with their outrageous demands?
posted December 12, 2008 at 8:27 pm
There religion mandates that they can let their children suffer and die because GOD didn’t answer their prayers, thus it was their god’s will that they die inorder to go to “heaven”? It’s call child abuse and maybe even murder (in my eyes). How in the world could anyone just allow their child to suffer and die and claim they love those children? Totally don’t understand that at all. Any judge in his/her right mind won’t allow the case to be dismissed. Letting your child die isn’t “religious” freedom…it’s murder.
posted December 12, 2008 at 8:42 pm
This is an obvious case of why brainwashing, while sometimes harmless, can indeed cause serious injury and even, yikes, death.
posted December 12, 2008 at 8:55 pm
“brainwashing” is an excellent term, Confessoressa.
posted December 13, 2008 at 2:44 am
Religious freedom should end when your “religion” advocates or actually does harm others.
posted December 13, 2008 at 12:51 pm
They should just treat this case the same way they would if the parents had noticed their daughter’s illness and simply done nothing out of apathy. If that counts as abuse, so does this.
posted December 13, 2008 at 1:15 pm
WOW….this is a deep subject…. who ever and how ever we never should blaim God. and the young parents may have not relized how sick that child was…. I for one don’t go to the doctor everytime I am sick…our body has its own healing genes… sometime we need extra help… rest assured our days are numbered whether we are a child or a adult… we dont know the day or the hour our the cause God allows us to die at his appointed time…. there is nothing you could do about it.. it is His timing… My children have been healed by Gods healing powers. and as well as the doctors God has blessed the doctor of the knowledge of medicine… tell me people what would you have said if these parents taken these children to the doctors and they died anyway.. who’s fault would it be then… the doctors or the parents… I have had quack doctors and excelent doctors… God has healed us and God has allowed us to allow the sickness to take its course… Its easy to lay judgement on a situation you know little about…Like I said, we are apointed time of death… And God chooses the way and that time we go… no matter what you may believe… It rains on the just and the Unjust…. It is a tradegy… and a big loss when we loose our children… or other family members friends… some time it looks like an accident and sometimes it looks neglegent sometimes it looks like its at the hand of others.. but it is at the hands of God when we go….
posted December 13, 2008 at 1:29 pm
To the previous poster, reread the article.
“and the young parents may have not relized how sick that child was”
The parents do not care how sick the child was, regardless they would not have taken her to a doctor because they don’t believe in doctors.
posted December 13, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Your Name at 1:15 PM: “The parents may not have realized how sick the child was? I think before the child died it would have been very obvious how sick that child was…..
No, I don’t go to the doctor every time I get ill either. But when an illness isn’t done in a reasonable amount of time…head for the doctor!
No excuse….that kid was, IMO, abused by not taking her for help or calling for it on 911~
posted December 14, 2008 at 9:34 pm
freedom of religion does not mean freedom to put other’s lives and well-being at risk. Sure use faith-based healing as a supplement but to use it in replacement of medical treatment? total insanity. I think the judge in this case would do well to refer the parents for psychiactric treatment after they have served their time in prison. I think they should also be banned from having any children in their care. I think the church they belong to that promotes this insanity ought to be exposed as well.