This is just wrong

The state of Virginia is going to force a 16 year-old cancer patient to undergo chemotherapy against his will and over his parents' objections:

            A judge ruled Friday that a 16-year-old boy fighting to use alternative treatment for his cancer must report to a hospital by Tuesday and accept treatment that doctors deem necessary, the family's attorney said.

The judge also found Starchild Abraham Cherrix's parents were neglectful for allowing him to pursue alternative treatment of a sugar-free, organic diet and herbal supplements supervised by a clinic in Mexico, lawyer John Stepanovich said.

Jay and Rose Cherrix of Chincoteague on Virginia's Eastern Shore must continue to share custody of their son with the Accomack County Department of Social Services, as the judge had previously ordered, Stepanovich said.

Now I will be the first to say that this proposed treatment is just nutty. That being said, a 16 year-old and their parents should be allowed to make these decisions on their own.  The state should never have been involved in this.

Comments

[Heather]

I totally agree with you about the Starchild Cherrix case, and I have posted the story on my blog to raise awareness. The state cannot be involved in matters of individual medical decisions; it's anarchy, and it's totalitarianism.

[Jeffrey]

Heather, how can it be both anarchy and totalitarianism?