A 13-Year-Old Boy with Autism is Banned from His Minnesota Church

There's no doubt that Carol Race loves her son Adam; she'll do anything and everything she can to fight for his rights. Adam is a 13-year-old boy, weighing in at over 200 pounds and topping six feet tall. And Adam has autism. For anyone unclear, autism is a neurological disorder that affects 1 in 150 children in the United States. The symptoms of the affliction for most can include the inability to communicate and limited social skills. For many others like Adam, there can also be inappropriate and sometimes volatile behavior.

Adam Race and his mother Carol have attended the Church of St. Joseph for practically all of the teenager's life in Bertha, Minnesota and the parishioners are familiar with the boy and his family. His outbursts and mannerisms were not something that was hidden from the congregation. As a matter of fact, as Adam's melt-downs worsened over time, his mother voluntarily sat in the rear of the church, often leaving before the services were concluded.

No Pew for Adam

Recently however, Adam's flare-ups have intensified to include nearly knocking over elderly parishioners, and starting and revving a fellow church-goer's automobile. The Church decided that the congregation would be safer without Adam's presence. They suggested the family might consider having Adam worship at home or another location. When that was not accepted by Mrs. Race, Reverend Daniel Walz went so far as to offer a video feed to a space located elsewhere in the small-town church. Again, Mrs. Race declined, stating that her son had the same right as any other parishioner to worship in the main chapel.

Father Walz saw it differently. The Church of St. Joseph issued a restraining order banning Adam from attending services inside the church. With that, a sheriff's deputy advised Mrs. Race she would essentially be arrested if she entered the church with Adam. She was unimpressed and responded that she and Adam would continue to attend services until they were dragged away in handcuffs. On May 11 she followed through, and was cited for attending the Sunday Mass.

So Who is Right and Who is Wrong?

To take the side of the Church is to agree that this is not a matter of discrimination; rather it is an issue of safety. The Church of Saint Joseph takes the argument that urinating in the congregation hall and nearly knocking over elderly parishioners is not only unacceptable, it is dangerous. At almost 225 pounds and without the ability to understand common social cues, they feel that Adam could potentially and unwittingly harm another individual in the church.

But Carol Race sees it differently. It is her belief, as it is the belief of several million other Catholics, that to intentionally avoid church services is a sin in the eyes of God. She sees no reason Adam should not be included, and trusts that God sees Adam through non-judgemental eyes. As the Church is supposed to accept all comers, regardless of disability, to exclude Adam would be no different than excluding the Reverend himself.

The Church initially agreed, and even offered several alternatives, including setting up a video feed of the service in the basement. Mrs. Race refused to have her son be treated as a second class citizen.

So what of the urinating in church? Mrs. Race says that Adam is merely incontinent, though she made no mention of whether or not her full-sized boy can use adult incontinence diapers. And when asked about Adam's violent outbursts, she stated that several family members have to sit on him and restrain his hands with a piece of felt. But she assured reporters that he's never actually been violent. Instead, she said that he has almost knocked down elderly parishioners.

What's Next?

The Race's are due to speak with a court-appointed mediator June 4^th. In the meantime Carol Race has set up a website and the family has received a strong show of support. Another family with a child afflicted by autism traveled three hours to sit in the rear pews normally occupied by the Race family.

The Church of St. Joseph stands by their decision. They have been a part of Adam's life for twelve of his 13 years, and representatives from the diocese state that this is in no way a case of discrimination. They assure that the Church has tried time and again to offer the Race's accommodations and alternatives to compensate for Adam's disruptions.

Even the Pope is being called on to respond.

For What its Worth

We too, have a boy with autism. He is three and already tips the scales at 45 pounds; he's already almost 3½ feet tall. He is at a slightly higher functioning area of the Spectrum, yet we know how disruptive his uncontrollable outbursts can be. And he is as strong as a boy twice his size, so we have had to make accommodations for him and for the sake of those around us.

I can not honestly say what my reaction would be if someone were to ban Nolan from anyplace specific, let alone a religious gathering that had been a part of much of our lives. I do know that, if Nolan was to get disruptive and be a danger to himself or those around us, I would take safely into consideration before our own desires for him. Nolan may be stuck in his own world, but we're teaching him to live in ours. It is my family's job to make sure he does that safely.