This week I would like us to have a discussion about the Sheena case. I would like you to comment on the court's reasoning and decision in this case. Was the court right in deciding that the child's safety came first? Or should the religious beliefs of the parents be more important?

Sheena case This question was brought to the fore in a case involving a baby girl, Sheena > Born 4 weeks premature in June 1983 Soon after her birth, she developed health problems, with her haemoglobin levels dropping drastically Doctors asked the parents to consent to surgery requiring a blood transfusion The parents, who were Jehovah's witnesses, refused on the argument that their religion prohibited blood transfusions 0/AamN@ O Response of Children's Aid Children's Aid then successfully obtained a court order giving them authority over Sheena Under their authority, the doctors were granted permission to perform surgery on Sheena. The parents then sued, insisting that their religious freedoms had been violated 0/AamN@ O Child's Safety Comes First SCC determined that the parent's religious freedoms had been violated Thus, next question was: could the court order stripping parents of authority over their child be saved under Section 1? Applying the Oakes test, SCC found against the parents. Protection of children's health from parent's religious opinions considered an important objective 0/AamN@ O B.C. Sextuplets In early 2007, a case arose in British Columbia very similar to the Sheena case A couple, Jehovah's witnesses, had sextuplets > Three of the babies needed blood transfusions Over objection of parents, B.C. government took control of babies and allowed two of them to receive transfusions 0/AamN@ O Other Items When SCC asked to consider the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, it observed that mandating religious officials to marry gays and lesbians would be a violation of religious freedom SCC has ruled that a person can be deemed as following a religion if they really believe what they are doing is religious > No requirement to show that one belongs to an officially recognized religion in order to be deemed religious Sincerity all that counts 0/AamN@ O