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May 19, 2008 6:51 pm US/Central
Mom Who Brought Autistic Son To Church In Court
(WCCO)
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Carol Race is fighting a Catholic church in Bertha, Minn. that barred her 13-year-old son Adam from attending Mass because they say his behavior is dangerous.
CBS
A Minnesota mother was in court Monday saying she's in a battle to protect the rights of her severely autistic son.
Carol Race is fighting a Catholic church in Bertha, Minn. that barred her 13-year-old son Adam from attending Mass because they say his behavior is dangerous.
"Whether it's the Catholic or another church, churches need to be aware of the needs of special needs families and even just normal kids that everyone is welcome in God's house," said Race.
The church, St. Joseph's, said they took out a restraining order because they worried about people's safety. In the court document, the church alleges Adam spit and urinated during services, and has had to be restrained at times.
Race disputes the description of her son's behavior saying that in the past two months her son is not anymore disruptive than a typical loud toddler.
She said she feels like Moses, and the people she is leading are parents with autistic children.
"If God calls me to this, then that's what I am going to do. I'm going to follow His will wherever He leads me," she said.
Adam has severe autism, and his mother said she's been hearing from families nationwide who say just like Adam, their disabled child has also been barred from religious services.
"I think this is a discussion that needs to happen for thousands and thousands of families out there," said Race.
On Monday, Race focused on her own battle. She left the Todd County Sheriff's Office where she was booked and fingerprinted all because of what happened two Sundays ago.
That's when Race and her son attended Mass at the St. Joseph's on Mother's Day. They sat through the entire Mass despite a restraining order the church had obtained forbidding them to go to the parish.
Afterward, she was charged with a misdemeanor and appeared in court to respond to the charge.
"It was the feeling of being treated as a criminal. I think just being in the courtroom like that. I'm not a criminal. Yes, I was at church," she said.
Though already facing a misdemeanor she tried to go to church again last Sunday.
"The Todd County Sheriff stopped me and said in no uncertain terms that if I stepped foot in church I would be arrested on the spot," she said.
Race backed down and attended a different church on Sunday but she vows to continue her fight for Adam to attend their Parish someday.
The church pastor has said that his concern for safety has increased because Adam has gotten so much bigger because he's about 6 foot, 2 inches and more than 200 pounds.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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