RELIGION IN FAMILY RELATIONS – RIGHT OF THE CHILD TO CHOOSE RELIGION AND/OR RIGHT OF PARENTS TO RAISE THE CHILD ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

Abstract

The state has an obligation to respect the principle of religious freedom. According to that principle, religious orientation of the parents should not be questioned, but on the other side child should be protected by the state in the sense that religious practice of the parents is not harmful for development and well-being of the child. State policy can take a stand that it is exclusive right of parent to determine the religion of the child and to raise the child in a religious way, or instead of that, child of a certain age can have the right to choose own religion. Religious norms are connected to the law through the guarantying of religious rights and freedoms. Although the parent which exercises parental rights primarily raise the child, since the determination of religion is a matter that significantly affects the life of a child, the author’s view is that a parent who does not exercise parental rights has the right to give consent to the choice or the change of child’s religion, and without his consent, another parent cannot determine child’s religion. Courts should avoid decisions that are based strictly on parents’ religious beliefs. However, due to the parents’ religious beliefs, the well-being of the child can be endangered (prohibition of undertaking medical interventions, blood transfusion). The author considers that existence of potential concrete risk is enough (a statement that medical intervention would not be allowed) so the parental responsibility, due to parent’s religion, would be assigned to another parent.