Zakk Swezey died at 17 from a treatable illness
It’s happened again. On March 15th, Zakk Swezey took ill. His parents thought he had food poisoning. But Swezey’s condition worsened. What did his parents do? The answer is they prayed; no visits to the emergency room, no medications, no nothing. The Church Elders were called, but that was the extent of the family’s concern, since they believed in faith-healing. On March 18th, Swezey died. The cause? A ruptured appendix.
You may be wondering what happened to Swezey’s parents. The answer is that the case is still under investigation. What’s so troubling is that if a woman hears the voice of God instructing her to starve her children, the insane asylum is her destination. However, when a Christian denies medical treatment to a minor, culminating in his death, that is protected under a Washington state statute.
Although it may appear shocking, Washington State law has an exemption for faith healing. Apparently, it specifies that if treated “by a duly accredited Christian Science practitioner in lieu of medical care, [the child] is not considered deprived of medically necessary health care or abandoned.” Sadly, the law is on the side of Swezey’s parents. However, in this case, the problem is not only with the parents; it is also with the law.
