Religious faith, medical procedures and minors
Posted on February 3, 2025
Filed under Australia
“One of the most difficult areas to navigate in the intersection between law and religion is the dilemma that is faced by a court when asked to adjudicate on differing opinions about medical treatment of young people, when objections to medical treatment are based on religious views. This is an area where a court, when asked to adjudicate, will have to weigh up different interests of the minor- bodily health, and being able to make decisions in accordance wth their faith.
Many such cases have arisen in based on objections to blood transfusions by Jehovah’s Witnesses. But in this post I want to note a careful decision on the issues which was handed down early last year, where the young person involved was from a ‘mainstream’ Protestant church, and was strongly of the view that they had been healed miraculously and that no further treatment was needed. …”
– Associate Professor Neil Foster writes at Law and Religion Australia.