Oregon Public Broadcasting

Opening arguments in the faith-healing trial of an Oregon City couple raised questions about the responsibilities of parents to seek medical treatment for an ailing teenager. Rob Manning reports.

Defense attorneys and prosecutors agree that 16-year-old Neil Beagley died last June of complications from a urinary block.

But the two sides disagree over the rights and responsibilities of the teen and his parents.

Greg Horner is a Clackamas County prosecutor.

Greg Horner: “What is the responsibility of the parents to provide medical care, if a minor doesn’t want to seek medical care? That’s the real issue.”

In opening statements, defense attorneys leaned on the remarks of a child services official who suggested the teen could make his own decisions.

The defendants, Marci and Jeffrey Beagley, are members of the Followers of Christ church, which practices faith-healing.

They’re also the grandparents of Ava Worthington – a toddler whose death in March 2008 led to a guilty verdict against their son-in-law.