Large Number Of Child Deaths Found At Faith-Healing Church

OREGON CITY, Ore. - Members of the Followers of Christ Church in this Portland suburb believe in something, and they believe in it all the way. It appears that as a result, children are dying.

An investigation by the Oregonian shows the church to have one of the largest clusters of child deaths among the nation's faith-healing churches.

The probe concluded that of the 78 children buried in the church's cemetery since 1955, at least 21 could have been saved with medical care, sometimes as basic as the administration of antibiotics.

The number could be higher. Little is known about most of the illnesses because investigations have been inconclusive or no medical records exist.

Clackamas County officials say poor prenatal care and a lack of trained help during childbirth likely contributed to many of the deaths.

In the past 12 years, four mothers who were members of the church have died in childbirth attended only by church midwives. Doctors say the deaths were preventable with routine medical care. State figures indicate that is at least 900 times the rate of similar deaths for Oregon as a whole.

The Followers of Christ Church, with a membership of about 1,200, is a fundamentalist Christian denomination that moved to the Northwest from Oklahoma in the early 20th century. It also has followers in Idaho.

The Followers believe they are direct spiritual heirs of the apostles and follow a literal interpretation of the Bible.

When a Follower is ill, members ask elders and church members to pray and anoint the patient with oil. Those who seek medical care are shunned by the tightly knit community.

Idaho members are more liberal, clinging to faith-healing beliefs but saying it is up to the patient whether to see a doctor.

In February, Bo Phillips, 11, whose family belongs to the church, died from treatable diabetes.

Clackamas County District Attorney Terry Gustafson says she will seek to change a law that prevents her from prosecuting the parents, who treated him only with prayer.

"I want desperately to prosecute this case," but the law provides immunity for parents who believe in prayer over medical care, she said.

Bo and two other children who have died since last July could have been saved had they seen a doctor, according to Dr. Larry Lewman, Oregon medical examiner.

Federal courts have left the matter of faith healers to the states to decide.

Oklahoma passed a law in 1985 requiring parents of deathly ill children to seek medical help, and at least two sets of parents there have gone to jail for refusing to do so.

Oregon's exemption for criminal prosecution for faith healers got a boost when the Legislature rewrote the state homicide laws increasing the penalty for murder by abuse. The Christian Scientist Church helped get immunities for faith-healing parents written into the law.

That church encourages members to go to doctors for delivery of babies.

Under Lewman's direction, investigations of deaths of members of the church have become much more thorough, with autopsies done on all children who die.

The death of Alex Morris, who was 4, stands out.

The boy complained of fever and congestion in February of 1989. He was anointed with holy oil while church members prayed for 46 days.

Then, acting on a tip, Oregon City Police visited the home. The boy appeared well cared-for and said he was "all right."

But 29 hours after the visit he was dead.

An autopsy showed an infection had filled one side of his chest with pus.

Basic antibiotics would have saved him, Lewman said.

"It was a horrible thing," he said. "The kid was getting sicker and sicker for days and days. At times the child would have been overwhelmed with fever and pain.

"In this day and age kids don't get this stuff."