In a plea deal, Blair and Taylor Edwards, members of the Followers of Christ Church, pleaded guilty in the death of their 2-day-old son, Hayden.
OREGON CITY, Ore. — A Clackamas County judge sentenced a couple Monday to 30 days in jail after their newborn son died when they failed to seek medical care, citing their religious beliefs.
Blair and Taylor Edwards, members of the Followers of Christ Church, pleaded guilty in connection with the June 2023 death of their 2-day-old son, Hayden. The infant was born at home and showed signs of serious distress on his second day of life, but the couple did not call for medical assistance despite his worsening condition.
The Followers of Christ is a small Christian denomination known for rejecting modern medicine in favor of faith healing. The church has been linked to multiple child deaths over the past two decades under similar circumstances.
In court, Blair Edwards read a statement acknowledging their mistake and expressing a shift in their beliefs.
“We should have reached out for medical care when Hayden went into distress,” he said. “We do understand that medical care can be necessary to preserve and enhance life. We accept the need for our children to have medical care for their health and well-being.”
The couple received five years of supervised probation in addition to the jail sentence. As part of their probation terms, they are required to seek medical care for their four remaining children.
Prosecutors noted that more severe charges and consequences could have been pursued, but the medical examiner could not definitively determine whether Hayden would have survived if emergency care had been provided.
The case highlights ongoing tensions between religious freedom and child welfare laws in Oregon, where faith-healing deaths have sparked legislative debates about exemptions for religious practices.