How can religion interfere with medical treatment? Let’s start here, religion is a huge factor in one’s life. In fact, there was a poll where fifty-eight percent of people voted that religion plays a huge role in their lives. What religions refuse medical treatment? Every religion has some rule you may need to follow like Jehovah’s Witnesses they refuse blood transfusions, Christians refuse most medical treatments because they rely on the healing prayers of Christian scientist-practitioners, The Faith Tabernacle Congregation in Altoona, PA believes that diseases are simply caused by the devil.

Although religions do have the right to refuse these treatments, the ultimate concern is: would you really die in the name of your religion? Here are the huge issues these refusals come with: parents refusal of medical treatments with their children, religious exemptions to child abuse and neglect laws, and public funding of alternative unproven religions or spiritual healing practices. People have stated that religious refusals within the scope of parental authority and argue that children’s future autonomy should be protected.

Now, why do these religions refuse? Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the Bible prohibits transfusion of blood and that Christians should not accept blood transfusions or donate or store their own blood for transfusion. Christian churches do not require that Christian scientists avoid all medical care; they believe that if you get hurt or have a broken bone, the use of dentists or obstetricians can be healed by prayer. And finally, The Faith Tabernacle Congregation because of their belief with diseases that hundreds of kids have died from, these past 100 years, there really is not much information on The Faith Congregation because they aren’t really “known.” They truly believe that the diseases are caused by the Devil and that it is the Devil’s work.