THE HERMANSONS
THE HERMANSONS
A THOUGHTFUL medical ethicist, Renee Fox, has referred to the law as one of society's ``ultimate moral grids,'' the forum where we wrestle as a people with our deepest moral concerns. Moral concern - on both sides - was at the heart of the recent trial of William and Christine Hermanson, Florida parents who lost a much-loved daughter and now face criminal penalties because, as Christian Scientists, they turned for help to their denomination's longstanding practice of Christian healing rather than to medical care.
We can't pretend to be impartial. The Hermansons are members of the church that publishes this newspaper. They are our brethren. It is painful to think of them being condemned and punished for their religious convictions - almost as painful as it was to learn of Amy Hermanson's unexpected death in 1986.
We do not question the earnestness or conscience of the jurors who, confronted by the tragedy of a child's death, rendered a verdict of guilty. Nor do we question the motives of the prosecutors, though their present demand for a prison sentence frankly seems gratuitous and cruel.
The verdict leaves basic moral questions unanswered, however.
Are the Hermansons guilty because they chose a mode of healing rooted in their deep sense of God's love, or because of the results of that choice in this situation?
If the former, are the many Christian Scientists who have made the same choice in equally serious situations, but whose children have been healed, also guilty? If the latter, why aren't parents who turn to physicians in good faith prosecuted when their choice has an equally tragic result?
Obviously, we aren't proposing such prosecutions, which would do the same kind of injustice to others as has been done to the Hermansons. We are simply pointing out that the moral distinction between a tragedy and a crime has been blurred in this case. To be consistent (as several commentators have pointed out), the guilt ascribed to these parents would have
A THOUGHTFUL medical ethicist, Renee Fox, has referred to the law as one of society's ``ultimate moral grids,'' the forum where we wrestle as a people with our deepest moral concerns. Moral concern - on both sides - was at the heart of the recent trial of William and Christine Hermanson, Florida parents who lost a much-loved daughter and now face criminal penalties because, as Christian Scientists, they turned for help to their denomination's longstanding practice of Christian healing rather than to medical care.
We can't pretend to be impartial. The Hermansons are members of the church that publishes this newspaper. They are our brethren. It is painful to think of them being condemned and punished for their religious convictions - almost as painful as it was to learn of Amy Hermanson's unexpected death in 1986.
We do not question the earnestness or conscience of the jurors who, confronted by the tragedy of a child's death, rendered a verdict of guilty. Nor do we question the motives of the prosecutors, though their present demand for a prison sentence frankly seems gratuitous and cruel.
The verdict leaves basic moral questions unanswered, however.
Are the Hermansons guilty because they chose a mode of healing rooted in their deep sense of God's love, or because of the results of that choice in this situation?
If the former, are the many Christian Scientists who have made the same choice in equally serious situations, but whose children have been healed, also guilty? If the latter, why aren't parents who turn to physicians in good faith prosecuted when their choice has an equally tragic result?
Obviously, we aren't proposing such prosecutions, which would do the same kind of injustice to others as has been done to the Hermansons. We are simply pointing out that the moral distinction between a tragedy and a crime has been blurred in this case. To be consistent (as several commentators have pointed out), the guilt ascribed to these parents would have