INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis woman is expected to plead guilty after she argued Indiana’s religious objection law gave her the right to beat her son with a coat hanger.
The Indianapolis Star reports that 30-year-old Khin Par Thaing is scheduled to receive a year of probation. Thaing’s attorney in July cited Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, saying it gives her the right to discipline her children according to her evangelical Christian beliefs.
Prosecutors said Indiana’s compelling interest in preventing child abuse outweighs religious protections in state law. Thaing is accused of beating her son with a coat hanger, leaving him with 36 bruises and red welts.
Thaing is a refugee from Myanmar who was granted political asylum. She also cited cultural differences as part of her defense.
