ABC News: Parents Charged in Faith Healing Case

Their case has focused attention on some laws that let parents rely on prayer to heal their children. Marci Hamilton, a professor at Cardozo Law School, who writes about religious issues, said the case may test Oregon's religious freedom laws and may prompt other states to re-examine their spiritual healing laws.

"There was a time when we were willing to permit these children to be lost, but there are increasingly more prosecutions and lawsuits," she said. "Children should not be permitted to be the testing ground for their parents' faith or secular views if it's going to result in their death."

More than 40 states make some religious exception in child abuse laws for parents who practice spiritual healing, though the laws vary widely in scope, according to Children's Healthcare is a Legal Duty, a nonprofit that opposes such laws.