Ian McEwan’s latest novel, The Children’s Act, pits religious belief against the law.
The title is a reference to the 1989 Children’s Act, which claims that when a court comes to deal with any issue concerning children, the child’s welfare shall be the court’s paramount consideration. The Act discusses parental responsibility and states what should be done in cases where parents do not co-operate with the law or with statutory bodies. This is just what happens in McEwan’s novel.
Refusal of medical treatment
The plot is inspired by the experiences of McEwan’s friend and former Lord Justice of Appeal, Sir Alan Ward. It tells the story of a legal case involving a set of parents who refuse to allow their sick son to receive medical treatment because of their religious beliefs. Adam, an intelligent 17-year-old, is suffering from leukaemia. He will die if he is not given a lifesaving blood transfusion, but his family are Jehovah’s Witnesses and believe that the Bible prohibits the ingesting of blood.
