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Appendix
2
Supporting Statements Were Issued
By These Organizations:
American Academy of Pediatrics, Massachusetts Chapter
In a letter addressed to Senator Edward L. Burke, Chairman,
Committee on Health Care, from Eileen Ouellette, M.D., Chapter
President, expressing support of H3519, "An Act to
Ensure the Provision of Medically Necessary Care for Children."
April 8, 1990
National
District Attorneys Association
In an Official Policy Position approved by the Board of
Directors, that the National District Attorneys Association
"shall join with other child advocacy organizations
to support legislation to repeal exemptions from prosecution
for child abuse and neglect."
July 14, 1991
National
Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse (currently
Prevent Child Abuse America)
Position Statement adopted November 1990, that "all
child abuse, neglect, and medical neglect statutes should
be applied to provide equal protection to all children without
potential or actual exemption for the religious belief of
their parent or caretaker."
Massachusetts
Nurses Association
In a testimony issued to the House of Representatives, urging
it to "support H2362 - An Act Relative to Neglected
Children, which would strike the portion of Chapter 271,
Section 1 that provides an exemption to necessary medical
care for children whose parents practice faith healing."
May 1991
Council
on Ministries, Iowa Conference, United Methodist Church
In a letter addressed to Massachusetts Committee for Children
and Youth, from Karen J. Tisinger, Director of Communications,
acknowledged the adoption of its Resolution 8304, which
"supports changes in Iowa law to maintain that children
are entitled to life-saving medical care along with food,
clothing and shelter regardless of their parents' religious
beliefs."
December 17, 1991
Newman
A. Flanagan, Suffolk County District Attorney
In a letter to the Coalition to Repeal Religious Exemptions
to Child Abuse Laws, from Newman A. Flanagan, expressing
his "support to the growing list of child advocates
who favor passage of House Bill 2362. This bill, entitled
'An Act Relative to the Care and Protection of Neglected
Children, ' would help save the lives of neglected children
throughout the Commonwealth by deleting the existing statutory
language dealing with the 'religious exemption' to medical
care for children."
April 25, 1991
American
Jewish Congress
In a letter to the legislature, from Sheila Dector, Executive
Director, New England Region; and Jonathan Brant, Chairman,
Committee on Religion and Medicine, regarding H4728, Medically
Necessary Care for Children, that the legislation "concerning
the abuse and neglect of children whose parents are believers
in spiritual healing.....would amend section one of chapter
273 of the General Laws so that the abuse and neglect statute
would apply to such parents when chidlren are in a life-threatening"
but that it" does not address the probelm sufficiently."
Included is a proposal for legislation with language that
"is not intended to prevent adult believers in spiritual
healing from practicing their religion. Rather, it protects
children who are not old enough to choose a method of treatment
themselves."
June 22, 1989
Civil
Liberties Union of Massachusetts
In a letter to the legislature from Karen Hudner, Legislative
Agent, urging the House to "Please vote YES on H-2362."
The letter states "...the Civil Liberties Union supports
H-2362 which would repeal the last paragraph of Chapter
272, Section 1." The letter continues "We believe
the language of that paragraph, which says that a child
is not suffering from abuse or neglect if he is being treated
'in accordance with the tenets and practice of a recognized
church or religious denomination by a duly accredited practitioner
thereof,' violates the establishment clause of the First
Amendment of the United States Constitution in that it favors
certain kinds of religious views over others."
June 19, 1991
Massachusetts
District Attorneys Association
In a letter to the legislature from William C. O'Malley,
President, states that the Association "has formally
resolved to support House Bill 2362 - An Act Relative to
Neglected Children - which repeals the portion of Chapter
273, Section, that purports to exempt parents from the requirement
that they provide necessary medical care to children."
May 13, 1991
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