Who decides medical treatment for a 16 year old?
Teen Fighting In Court to Have Alternative Medical Treatment for His Cancer
A Virginia teen is fighting in court for his right to have alternative medical treatment for his lymphatic cancer instead of chemotherapy. His parents are also fighting attempts to remove the 16-year-old boy from their custody over the issue.
Starchild Abraham Cherrix -- who goes by Abraham -- has Hodgkin's disease, and when he underwent three months of chemotherapy last year, it made him extremely weak. So when he found out in February that his cancer was active again, he decided, against doctor's advice, that he didn't want to go through chemotherapy again. Instead, he went on a sugar-free organic diet, began taking herbs, and started visiting a clinic in Mexico. Soon after, a social worker asked a judge to require Cherrix to continue conventional treatment. The family believes a doctor reported them to Social Services.
A juvenile court judge issued a temporary order in May finding Cherrix's parents neglectful for supporting their son's decision. He also ordered the parents to share custody with the Accomack County Department of Social Services. Cherrix's father, Jay Cherrix, explained to AP, "What is boils down to is does the American family have the right to decide on the health of their child, or is the government allowed to come in and determine that themselves and threaten one way or the other to split our family up."
Do you think a 16-year-old should be able to decide what kind of medical treatment they do and don't want to have?
Do you think the parents are right to support their son's decision?
What do you think of the idea of a court possibly taking Cherrix from his parent's custody over this and putting him in the custody of Social Services, which would force the chemotherapy?
Does the government have the right to tell a family what kind of treatment their children must have under threat of those children being taken away?
posted by Pat Campbell @ 6:35 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
This is outrageous and sad. I myself am in a Mexican stand-off with pre-cancer, and if it ever went to full-blown cancer I would not do radiation or chemotherapy. I would take the same route as this 16-year-old. Like him, I fear the chemo would kill me before the cancer would.
It's the AMA and pharmaceutical lobby that has put a stranglehold on what the government deems as "medical neglect". If it's not the AMA's version of medical care then it is deemed neglect. Alternative therapies, herbal, vitamin C drips, accupuncture, spiritual healing, Reiki....none of that counts.
If they claimed it was for religious purposes they might have had a chance. But why does it have to be a religious issue? I should be able to treat my illnes, and that of my (potential) children any way I see fit. A
At least they are doing SOMETHING and not nothing. And even if they wanted to do nothing and the teen and parents agreed to just let it be and let him die, that should be honored as well.
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