Imagine you have a sick child in obvious need of medical attention. The average person would not hesitate to get that child proper medical attention. But what if the church you belonged to strongly urges against getting medical attention, but instead encourages prayer as a means of healing? It may seem crazy to most, but to one couple, whose daughter was gravely ill, that is exactly what they did- and it cost the little girl her life!
Carl and Raylene Worthington were indicted Friday on charges of manslaughter and criminal mistreatment of their 15-month-old daughter, Ava. The couple belongs to the Followers of Christ Church. The church has a history of treating seriously ill children with only prayer, so naturally no one was urging the couple to take the necessary and proper action. Instead, the couple started a prayer vigil for the little girl and believed that “God would heal her.” But God did not heal her, and Ava died on March 2 of bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection.
The State Medical Examiner said the infection could have easily been prevented and this tragedy did not need to occur. The medical examiner said that the little girl also had a cyst on her neck that was infected at the time of her death, which had obviously never been treated. In the 1990’s, laws were passed which prevented people from being protected from criminal action for relying on faith healing, when several children were reported to have died from apparent neglect. Those parents were also members of a Fundamentalist Church. Since those laws took effect in 1999, “We haven’t seen any cases of significant medical neglect … until now,” said child abuse Detective Jeff Green of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
Of course, the Gorilla was outraged when he heard this story and many people all over the world feel the same way. When it comes to children and faith healing, the Gorilla is not on board with this one. It is one thing to have faith, and another thing entirely to be just plain ignorant. If you want to neglect yourself, an able bodied adult, well that is your choice, but very young child such as little Ava, rely on their adult counterparts to speak and act on their behalf. This should not have happened. This poor little girl never had a choice or a voice in her very young life. If convicted the Worthington’s will face 6 years in prison.