You know I can see the kids in 20 years time saying: "Mum, Dad? This old news article says you thought your spiritual beliefs were so important, that you were going to let us die? Is that right? Then why have us in the first place?"

"While it is difficult to conceive of any limitations on religious beliefs, the same cannot be said of religious practices, notably when they impact on the fundamental rights and freedoms of others."

YES.

Agreed. Just because you give birth to someone, it doesn't mean they're going to be little carbon copies of you and that they're going to have the same belief system as you do.

I'm an atheist, and I'm NOT telling my kids what I think when it comes to religion, or pushing it onto them-- they can believe what they want to when they work it out for themselves. (Which they haven't yet.) Same with the vego thing-- sure, I'm vegetarian, but that doesn't mean my kids have to be. It was my choice to not eat meat-- my kids have the right to make their own choices about things like that. It's not my right to make that choice for 'em.

And when you're talking about having religious beliefs which extend to medical decisions... that's where things get even worse: a baby doesn't have the frame of mind to conceive higher powers and shit, let alone the ability to make a decision about blood transfusions and stuff.

What really gets me is that a parent can ignore the needs of their kid by saying, "We're vegan and bubs only eats rice milk" and everyone jumps on them, yet a parent can ignore the needs of their kid by saying "It's our religion," and suddenly it becomes "complicated." :/

Just like to point out that not all of us who believe in Jesus are nutbags. :P

But. I've been on the other-again side, listening to one of our superiors telling the story of when he was in that situation. Apparently it's (relatively) common procedure to make children wards of the state for a day or two if it comes down to it; and because they're wards of the state, the doctors don't have to tell the parents a darn thing they're doing.
Which, granted, puts the kids in an awful position of being at the end of their parent's wrath, but I'm not saying it's the ideal solution - just the one I've seen.

I wrote this huge response to this post about how at the end of the day it's all just opinions, and people bullying other people with their beliefs...

Then I opened a new browser to check my email, and there was the Einstein quote of the day;

Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.

doe! Beaten by Einstein again :-)