16 Year-old Virginian's Cancer Affects YOU!
I know, you might not agree, but do you think that the government should tell you how to treat your children? Should decide for your children when they allow other children of the same age to make life and death decisions? The story, even during the Mideast Israel/Hezbollah war, made it above the fold in some venues. This is CNN's version,
Teen cancer patient battles to choose own treatment.
Do you think that the government should tell you how to care for and treat your children? Clearly the majority do as we've passed and generally approve laws that prohibit abuse of children. Is this abuse? Is abortion abuse? Is late term abortion abuse? Why is it permissible to allow a parent, even only one of the parents, to decide to abort a child at various stages up to the point the child is actually being born but not allow those parents to, with the reasonable approval of the child, to choose to take what is likely to be riskier treatment for, in this case, cancer? Even odder is that if he wasn't male, and was pregnant he could choose to abort the pregnancy without interference of either the court or of his parents and you'd be damned in the press if you disagreed! So, a child can choose to take another child's life but can't be trusted, with his parents full knowledge and approval, to risk their own life.
I've noted that the "liberals" (socialists) and conservatives have taken interesting positions. The liberals applaud the judge's decision as it gives the young man the highest possible chance for life (but they would also have applauded his mother's decision to abort him if she had so chosen). The conservatives have generally been disturbed that the parents and boy have been prevented from making their own decision as to treatment (yet they would categorically prohibit abortion).
Barry Taylor, the family's attorney, said the case had major ramifications not only in Virginia, but also across the nation when it comes to parents' rights to determine what is best for their children.
"I don't think any family in the commonwealth would be comfortable with the fact that a social worker with no medical training could make a medical decision for their child," Taylor said. "It's an assault on the American family."
No kidding. And doesn't this sort of thing, it isn't the first time this has happened, just open all of us up to second-guessing by some government flunky? Oh sure, there are dedicated, thinking, reasonable, hard-working social workers out there but there are also numerous lazy, irresponsible or arrogant people working in this field. The courts give them, regardless of their approach to their training or work, the benefit of a doubt in cases because they are the government and because they are there to protect the child. Frankly, it is one thing to be hired to do a job and it is quite another to do the job. One would have to wonder
which case worker you were assigned (or rather, to whom you or your child(ren)were assigned).
This bothers me no end though. In Virginia, you get your driver's license at age 16. What does that imply? How many life and death decisions could you potentially make as a driver? But, you can't decide for yourself?
I mentioned that if you're a female and 16 you can decide to abort your baby without your parents consent and protected by the courts. You see, we can't have laws regarding parental notification prior to an abortion (and this was only notification NOT parental approval) because this somehow diminishes a woman's right to control her body. Do 16 year old men not have this right?
I heard today a question as to where we draw the line. Personally, I like the driver's license age but there is another age apparently in current vogue with liberals and that is age 12. Used by some judges in considering the child's desires as to custody, the age of 12 for boys and 14 for girls was long accepted as the age of puberty and so of "adulthood".
UPDATE -
Judge lifts order requiring treatment for teen with cancer By ELIZABETH SIMPSON, The Virginian-Pilot
Would you like for your chosen medical treatment to receive this back and forth tug of war?
