Rita Swan of CHILD (Children's Healthcare Is a Legal Duty, Inc.) will be the guest speaker at the monthly meetup of the Louisville Atheists and Freethinkers. She and her husband Doug lost their only son Matthew in 1977 because of relying on Christian Science practitioners to heal him. She now crusades for laws to protect children from medical neglect due to religious beliefs. Her Lexington based organization has a mission to end child abuse or neglect related to religion, cultural practices, or quackery through public education, research, legal action, and a limited amount of lobbying.

The meeting is open to the public. To RSVP without joining the Louisville Atheists and Freethinkers, call 502-939-9275 or email edwinhensley@gmail.com.

CHILD supports 1) Laws requiring medical care of children, including preventive and diagnostic measures, without exception for religious belief; 2)Reporting of child abuse and neglect without religious exemption; 3) Licensing of child care facilities including those run by churches; 4) Ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

CHILD's website, http://childrenshealthcare.org/, includes an ability to search a multitude of issues relating to the following:
Religion-related medical neglect
Belief exemptions from immunization and screening
Corporal punishment
“Therapeutic” residential programs
Exorcism
Polygamy
Quackery and folk remedies
Cultural abuses
Sexual abuse
Judicial decisions
Child welfare services
Legislative action
Health insurance
By denomination

6:30 - 8:00 Eat and Talk

8:00 - 9:00 Rita Swan