Faith healers let 16-year-old son, and God, make the final call
I’d been following the trial of two local faith healers who allowed their 16-year-old son to die in the summer of 2008 without the benefit of any medical care. Here’s a sample of The Oregonian’s coverage. I thought about doing a post on it. But my friend and former colleague, Shelly Strom, had been covering the trial from a seat in the courtroom, and I decided instead to ask her to share her thoughts on the case with you.
Some background: Jeffrey and Marci Beagley, parents of the late Neil Jeffrey Beagley, were arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide after Neil died from complications of a chronic urinary tract blockage. The disorder is not uncommon and is not considered life-threatening, testimony showed, unless it goes untreated. Which in this case it did, for years, until he finally died from all the toxins piling up in his system.
The case went to the jury last Friday. Here’s Shelly’s take on this tragic situation:
The Price of Passivity
By Shelly Strom
I attended a riveting and disturbing trial that played out in Oregon City, Ore., throughout the latter part of this month.
Two parents, Jeff and Marci Beagley, are on trial for criminally negligent homicide in the death of their son. If convicted, the Beagleys could face as much as 18 months in jail.
Marci and Jeffrey Beagley; photo The Oregonian
For the Beagleys, keeping their faith appears to be more important than anything else in their lives. It lies at the crux of big decisions—life and death, even. Their church teaches that going to a doctor shows a lack of faith. Some might even go so far as to say they and their co-congregants at Followers of Christ Church are blinded by faith.
That’s OK—until somebody gets hurt, or dies, because of beliefs held by another person. Especially when that someone is a child–as in this case, where the Beagley’s son Neil Beagley died in June 2008.
Neil died because a congenital abnormality in his urogenital tract went unchecked for his entire 16-year life. As a result of a blockage that prevented urine from flowing adequately from his bladder to his urethra, his body filled with fluid, scar tissue almost entirely obliterated his kidneys and his heart became enlarged.
Jeff and Marci knew in the weeks and months prior to Neil’s death that he was sicker than they’d ever seen him. To that they testified. There was no doubt in their minds. Right up until he died, though, they let God do the doctoring. And God pulled the plug on their son.
This isn’t the first time a child has died in this family. March 2, 2008, Neil’s niece, 15-month-old Ava Worthington died of an illness. Her parents, members of the Followers of Christ Church, don’t believe in receiving assistance from medical doctors.
That is what makes this case so riveting. Testimony from the parents and other church members provides a look into a culture where logic and rationalism are omitted from action.
I find it impossible to understand the way the Beagleys treated their son in his last months and days—a period when Neil arguably was quite ill. How could their parental instincts not have overtaken before he drew his last breath?
On the couple of occasions that my young son has become sick with something other than a cold, my moral fiber urges me to run, not walk, to the pediatrician. I try to slow my mind and resist.
But the compulsion–to deliver him to someone who knows science, to someone who might be able to recognize his symptoms and allay my fears that his life is threatened–simply is overwhelming.
Both times I’ve found myself in this situation, I’ve taken my son to the doctor and learned that our sweet boy had an illness warranting immediate medical attention and prescription drugs.
The notion of passively watching my son become throughout weeks and months as sick as Neil, who complained of an upset stomach and being weak, lost his meager appetite and experienced difficulty breathing, almost makes me nauseous.
Not taking him to a doctor after a few days or a week of those symptoms is an impossibility. I simply would not have the mental stamina to stay passive and idly ignore the urge to bring my son—or for that matter, any other person under my care—to a doctor.
How could I not take advantage of professional assistance accessible as easily as a 10-minute drive from my front door? That is the least I could do for my child in the ongoing and relentless effort that is parenthood.
Next: Shelly Strom awaits the verdict in this case and shares more of her coverage of the trial.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by True/Slant and notfedup, Tweets Tube. Tweets Tube said: Faith healers let 16-year-old son, and God, make the final call http://bit.ly/d7AiT4 [...]
[...] Here’s the second post by my friend and former colleague, Shelly Strom, who’s been covering a faith healer criminal trial in Oregon City, OR., a town just outside of Portland. Her first report appeared in this space Sunday. Click here to read that post. [...]
[...] February 1, 2010 · Leave a Comment Two Oregon faith healers did not medically intervene with their 16-year-old son, who subsequently died of an imminently treatable condition. From True/Slant: [...]
Such behavior has always been around but, thankfully, remains unusual. Most people, believers and non-believers alike, find it disturbing and extremely hard to relate to.
I trust you’re not suggesting otherwise.
I have a hard time understanding how someone’s parental instincts to protect their child can be so completely extinguished by faith. I wonder what else is going on in that closed community of believers that would let a child determine whether or not he should receive medical attention in such grave circumstances.
In response to another comment. See in context »Nearly all of the time, *faith* DOESN’T extinguish parental instincts. Is that statistically inadmissible when discussing the impact of faith?
In response to another comment. See in context »Not at all – the case above is an extreme case where life or death was at stake. But *faith* causes a lot of less drastic ill effects. Like teaching children to hate homosexuals, repress their sexuality, to believe fantasy over reality. Beliefs have consequences – and they are sometimes fatal.
And with this being said – I must also allow that most people of faith I know are wonderful folks who love their children, help their neighbors and truly hate no one.
But I credit their humanity – not their faith.
In response to another comment. See in context »When someone in our family circle has medical issues, my Christian mother brings in the medical team–and prays. I think she believes the combination of the two is pretty darn powerful!
In response to another comment. See in context »This is why religious exceptions for health care should be complete removed from all state laws, if only for minors. I sincerely hope this couple is convicted and sentenced to the maximum term under the law.