Idaho Law Protects Faith Healers. It Wasn’t Always That Way.

In Idaho, the law allows parents who adhere to certain spiritual beliefs to forgo medical treatment for their children, potentially leading to their death. This protection has evolved over time, with earlier versions of Idaho law prohibiting parents from refusing medical care without a "lawful excuse." The Followers of Christ sect, a faith-healing group active in the state since 1899, has experienced 15 preventable child deaths between 2015 and 2025, according to ProPublica's reporting.

In 1915, a 13-year-old girl named Pearl Annis died in Idaho after her parents refused medical treatment; she died of septic shock from a bowel blockage in a hospital. In 1965, a judge ordered the state to take custody of a 10-year-old boy after he survived a bout with pneumonia and measles, but his mother had died and his father refused further medical care.

The law in the 1960s required parents to provide medical care for their children's health, regardless of their religious beliefs. However, in 1971, Idaho's criminal code was rewritten, allowing parents to avoid endangerment charges if they chose "treatment by prayer or spiritual means alone." This exemption was later expanded in 1976 to prevent children from being placed in foster care solely due to lack of medical care.

Despite national shifts away from faith-healing exemptions, Idaho has maintained its unique policy ever since.