Birth practice in Christian Scientist

QUESTION: What is the birth practice in Christian Scientist?

ANSWER:

Although the birth practice for Christian Scientists is actually different for each individual, as a rule, Christian Scientists prefer not to use doctors, medicine, or immunizations - even during pregnancy, labor, and birth. However, the Christian Science church doesn't take an official stand on childbirth, and Christian Scientists are free to handle it as they like. Some people give birth under the care of a doctor, but they still try to minimize the use of medicine in the process.

Some Christian Scientists choose to have their children at home aided by midwives or they minimize hospitalization by going home the same day as the delivery. The main reason for this is to promote a spiritual connection between their newborn child and themselves as parents - something they prepare for in advance during pregnancy. However, Christian Scientists will not carry out this birth practice in violation of the law, especially in light of recent lawsuits alleging negligence and wrongful death of children.

In general, Christian Scientists believe that sickness and disease have no physical basis, and hence, anything that causes them to deviate from perfect health can be corrected by divine healing alone. Through prayer, Scripture, and application of the concepts presented in Science and Health and other writings of Mary Eddy Baker, Christian Scientists believe that they can attain and maintain perfect health. Yet, the Bible does not support the Christian Scientist idea that disease is an affliction of the mind/spirit and not the body and therefore, it is not consistent with a biblical worldview.