Newborn Blood Test Violates Religious Beliefs?

Giving birth to a child should be a joyous occasion, but for one Nebraska couple it brought not only happiness, but a lawsuit.

Ray and Louise Spiering, who have recently given birth to a baby girl, are challenging a Nebraska law that requires all newborn children to have a blood test in order to detect potential health problems, such as congenital diseases. The test is routinely done within the first 48 hours of a child’s life. The Spierings, who attend a fundamentalist Christian church and subscribe to some practices of Scientology, claim that such a test is in violation of their religious beliefs. Scientology encourages the practice of silent birth, which states that the absence of words during childbirth promotes both the mental and physical health of the mother and the child. The couple embraces this practice, and takes it a step further by believing that 3 ½ days after birth a child is in pain and should not be subject to any additional pain, such as drawing of blood.

The couple asked a court to postpone the blood test for 7 days, although ideally they would like to opt out of the test altogether. The court postponed the test for 8 days while the lawsuit was pending. Ultimately, the Spierings feel they have already won, since the court postponed the test. They claim that is all they were really looking for.

Nebraska is one of four states, along with South Dakota, Michigan and Montana, that do not allow parents to opt out of this testing.

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