Forcing chemotherapy on children and criminalizing parents…again
Tragic in Minnesota
No doubt, by now you’ve heard all about Daniel Hauser, the 13-year-old Minnesota boy who was recently treated like a criminal when he and his family chose to pursue alternative therapies to treat his Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
After he and his mother spent several days evading authorities, Daniel returned home and agreed to continue chemotherapy. A court also “allowed” him to use alternative treatments.
We saw a very similar scenario played out in 2006 with Abraham Cherrix, a Virginia teen with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. And the year before that it was Katie Wernecke in Texas – same disease, same absurd overreaction by medical and government authorities, same eventual outcome.
Enough lunacy! Enough heartache and misery for these children and their families! It’s time for child welfare authorities everywhere to recognize every patient’s right to make his own health care decisions.
Fleeing into the night
Let’s start with a story that I will never get tired of hearing. In the July 2008 issue of the HSI Members Alert, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., shared a remarkable experience with a young cancer patient. Here’s how Dr. Spreen recently recalled the story…
“A father came in with his 12 year-old son who had osteosarcoma of the knee. He had been told it was child abuse to refuse chemotherapy for his son even AFTER being told that the treatment was admittedly experimental!
“His entire family had to leave in the middle of the night to Canada before agents got there the next day to take the child away. They snuck him up there for Essiac herbal treatment. They had also been told that the treatment probably wouldn’t work, and that they should prepare for above-the-knee amputation (the worst type). At the time, the boy had a large asymmetry of one knee, with a large, firm lump.
“Two or three years later, a lanky teenager I failed to recognize walked into my office (on both legs, no limp and no lump) looking totally healthy. His father walked in after him. They stopped by just to show me what the outcome had been with his now-normal son. They couldn’t stay long though because they were still under an arrest warrant and had snuck into the state for some business.”
Needless to say, every cancer patient is unique, so there’s no guarantee that Daniel Hauser might have the same success as Dr. Spreen’s young patient. Nevertheless, families shouldn’t have to flee into the night to avoid arrest because they refuse conventional medical treatments.
Something you see in horror movies
Three years ago, Abraham Cherrix decided to forgo chemotherapy after his first injection left him so weak he could barely walk. The authorities threatened to arrest Abraham’s parents and force the boy to receive the medication.
Here’s how Abraham recently described his ordeal to WVEC News in Norfolk, VA: “You’re getting within a person’s personal space and saying we want to do with your body what we want to do with it, and if you do not agree, we will strap you down and force you to have it.
“That is something you see in horror movies, where the mad scientist puts you down and sticks the needle, and injects the chemicals. This is not something that America should be doing.”
Eventually a judge devised a solution that allowed Abraham to be treated by a doctor who combined radiation and vitamin C therapy in addition to other medications and supplements. I’m impressed the judge actually allowed Abraham to proceed with alternative treatments. But his case (and Katie’s and Daniel’s) should NEVER have gone to court in the first place.
When patients tell conventional doctors they want to pursue alternative therapies, their wishes should be respected. Period. And the legal system and the child welfare bureaucracy should never come into play – no matter how old the patient is and no matter how unconventional the therapy may seem.
Today Abraham is cancer-free. Daniel Hauser can probably achieve the same result – no thanks to Minnesota authorities who will probably never recognize their role in delaying his much-needed treatments.
A final note…
In Dr. Spreen’s story he mentioned that the young man with osteosarcoma of the knee received Essiac herbal treatment. This is one of those remarkable therapies that the hardcore conventional crowd would rather you never heard about. HSI members can find the online issue of that 2008 Members Alert at this link.
The HSI Members Alert provides an excellent way to stay informed about all of the most groundbreaking advances in alternative medicine. Find out how you can be among the very first to learn about cutting edge cures you’ll rarely hear about in the mainstream media.
Sources:
“Arrest Ordered for Mom of Boy, 13, Resisting Chemo” Amy Forliti, Associated Press, 5/19/09, ap.org
“Dad of Boy Resisting Chemo: He’s Left Country” Minneapolis Star Tribune, 5/20/09, startribune.com
“Teenager’s Fight Against Cancer, Courts Brings Flashback for Family From Virginia” Brian Farrell, WVEC News, 5/20/09, wvec.com
