The First Amendment rights include freedom or speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition. But what happens when they conflict? A prime example of conflicting rights is the Commonwealth vs Twitchell case. The Twitchells were Christian Scientists who believed that praying for your child's health was a superior method to using medicine. Their two-year-old child fell sick with peritonitis, a disease that can be easily cured with medicine. The parents refused to take the child to the doctor to be cured and prayed for the child's health. Unfortunately, the child died.
There was much controversy about this case. If the Twitchells were allowed freedom of religion, should they be charged for manslaughter? In my opinion, they should be charged for at least involuntary manslaughter. They may deserve a harsher punishment in some people's eyes, and none in others'. I believe that you have the right to practice your religion, but when you take measures that can put an innocent person in danger, you're doing something wrong. More religious people than me probably have different opinions, but you may need to reconsider your religious views if this is the case. While you do have the right to practice your religion, the child was obviously not able to choose their own religion. If the child would have grown up to not be a Christian Scientist, he was a victim of another's religion.
The rights of the First Amendment are rights that we don't normally think about when we use them. When they conflict with the law, it raises controversy. Both our rights and the law are extremely important to Americans. In my opinion, the ruling depends on the case. Some people take their liberties too far, but it is up to us to decide what is ethical and what is not in these situations.
http://www.4lawnotes.com/family-law/2941-commonwealth-v-twitchell.html
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