Posted by Harold on March 22, 1999 at 10:12:30 {MWfoO3UYy128g}:
In Reply to: *Hope fading fast 4 Deuck lad posted by J on March 22, 1999 at 08:58:18:
Hi J,
Thanks for your response.
I appreciate what you say about having the right to choose for yourself as to what kind of medical treatment you would prefer. We all cherish that right. In this case we are talking about the choice of
treatment based on religious notions vs medical and scientific evidence to the contrary. While it is true that with cancer conventional medical treatment offers no guarantee of recovery, it still offers a better chance than herbal
treatments and faith. I believe that in this case the fundamentalist ideology of this family took away whatever chance this boy had for any kind of recovery. Decisions should be made on the basis of what is most likely to produce the best
results. The government tried to intervene to insure this boy would get the best treatment based on the most current medical evidence. Being a fairly conservative person myself, I believe in as little govermental intrusion into our lives
as possible. But I believe that when fundie thinking puts a child in harm's way, the government has the responsibility to step in.
Harold