The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Amendments of 1996 added new provisions specifying that nothing in the Act be construed as establishing a Federal requirement that a parent or legal guardian provide any medical service or treatment that is against the religious beliefs of the parent or legal guardian (42 U.S.C. 5106i).

Many States do provide in their statutory definitions of child abuse and neglect an exemption for parents who choose not to seek medical care for their children due to religious beliefs.

These include the following states:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Guam
Idaho Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Wyoming

This Ready Reference is a product of the Child Abuse and Neglect State Statutes Series prepared by the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information. Ready Reference publications contain excerpts of text with citations from specific sections of each State's code that focus on a single issue of special interest. While every attempt has been made to be as complete as possible, additional information on these topics may be in other sections of a State's code as well as in agency regulations, case law, and informal practices and procedures.