KENNETH S. HICKEY and LAURIE LYCKHOLM CHILD WELFARE VERSUS PARENTAL AUTONOMY: MEDICAL ETHICS, THE LAW, AND FAITH-BASED HEALING ABSTRACT. Over the past three decades more than 200 children have died in the U.S. of treatable illnesses as a result of their parents relying on spiritual healing rather than conventional medical treatment. Thirty-nine states have laws that protect parents from criminal prosecution when their children die as a result of not receiving medical care. As physicians and citizens, we must choose between protecting the welfare of children and maintaining respect for the rights of parents to practice the religion of their choice and to make important decisions for their children. In order to make and defend such choices, it is essential that we as health care professionals understand the history and background of such practices and the legal aspects of previous cases, as well as formulate an ethical construct by which to begin a dialogue with the religious communities and others who share similar beliefs about spiritual healing. In this paper, we provide a framework for these requirements. KEY WORDS: Christian Science, faith healing, religion and ethics INTRODUCTION Medicine and religion are allies in their mission of assuaging human suffering. Yet the interface between some religious faiths and medicine can create conflict between parental authority and the right of a child to receive appropriate medical care. Of the myriad of religious groups, General Assembly and Church of the First Born, End Time Minis- tries, Faith Assembly, Faith Tabernacle, and the First Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science) are among the religious groups that favor faith healing over traditional medical care. 1 Among these groups, Christian Scientists are the largest and most recognized. This paper examines the relationship between medicine, the law, ethics, and the Christian Science community. It will conclude with a call for further discussion of child rights within the medical community and recommend that children be afforded timely and appropriate medical care despite the religious beliefs of their parents. Theoretical Medicine 25: 265–276, 2004. Ó 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.