Hot Topic (5/18): Should parents be allowed to refuse chemotherapy for their child's cancer?

[Cafe GroupAdmin]

 

Judge to Decide if Boy Recieves Chemo

Friday, May 15, 2009

 

Associated Press: A Minnesota judge is expected to decide whether a family can refuse chemotherapy for a 13-year-boy's cancer and treat him with natural medicine, even though doctors say it's effectively a death sentence.

AP

With chemotherapy, Daniel Hauser has a 90 percent chance of surviving his Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to his cancer doctor. And without it?

"It is almost certain that he will die," said Dr. Bruce Bostrom, a pediatric oncologist at Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota. Bostrom, who diagnosed the disease, is an ally of the legal effort in southwestern Minnesota's Brown County to make Hauser submit to chemotherapy even though he and his parents believe it's potentially more harmful than the cancer itself.

District Judge John Rodenberg was expected to rule Friday on Brown County's motion.

Bostrom said Daniel's chance of survival without chemotherapy is about 5 percent. Nevertheless, parents Colleen and Anthony Hauser are supporting what they say is their son's decision to instead treat the disease with nutritional supplements and other alternative treatments favored by the Nemenhah Band. The Missouri-based religious group believes in natural healing methods advocated by some American Indians.

"This is about the right of a 13-year-old young man to be free from acts of assault on his body," said the family's attorney, Calvin Johnson. The Hausers did not return several phone messages left at their home Thursday.

Bostrom diagnosed Daniel Hauser with Hodgkin's lymphoma in January, and recommended he undergo chemotherapy treatments once a month for six months, followed by radiation. Daniel became gravely ill about a week later and was taken to an emergency room, Bostrom said, and the family consented to the first chemotherapy treatment.

After that, Bostrom said, the family said they wanted a second opinion. They later informed him that Daniel would not undergo any more chemotherapy. Bostrom said Daniel's tumor shrunk after the first chemotherapy session.

Two other doctors who examined Daniel backed up Bostrom's assessment at a court hearing last Friday. At that hearing, Colleen Hauser testified her son became sick and depressed after the first treatment, and said the family only would consent to traditional treatments in the case of a life-threatening illness.

"My son is not in any medical danger at this point," Colleen Hauser testified. She also testified that Daniel was a medicine man and elder in the Nemenhah Band.

The mother said her son made the decision himself to refuse chemotherapy: "I think he understands he has the right to choose healthier forms of dealing with this cancer."

Brown County disagrees, and pressed the case after Bostrom notified child protection authorities.

Daniel Hauser "does not have a complete understanding of what it means to be a medicine man or an elder," Brown County Attorney James Olson wrote in a legal filing.

The Hausers, who are Roman Catholic, have eight children. Colleen Hauser told the New Ulm Journal newspaper that the family's Catholicism and adherence to the Nemenhah Band are not in conflict, and said she has treated illness with natural remedies her entire life.

Nemenhah was founded in the 1990s by Philip Cloudpiler Landis, who said Thursday that he was one-fourth American Indian. Nemenhah adherents are asked to pay $250 to be members. "We're non-dogmatic, a very universal faith," Landis said.

Landis said he founded the faith after facing his diagnosis of a cancer similar to Daniel Hauser. He said he treated it with diet choices, visits to a sweat lodge and other natural remedies. Landis also once served four months in prison in Idaho for fraud related to advocating natural remedies.

"The issue is Danny's right to decide how he wants to live his life," Landis said. "What if they make him take chemotherapy and he dies from that? The band will mourn with the family if that's the case, but we'll rejoice that Danny had the opportunity to test the law of the land."

[cowgirlsr2]

This is truly a tragic situation but if the boy does not want anymore conventional meds then it is his choice and he is old enough to understand the outcome. I believe people should honor his wishes and let him choose his path and at some point he may change his mind but either way his body his choose. My prayers to him and his family and to the doctors and judges honor the decisions if it were them they would want the same.

[aidansmommy961]

No.

As a parent it is your job to do whatever it takes to care for and protect your child. In this day and age there is no reason that a child should die of a cancer that is so treatable. Now I know this is one of those subjects where people will debate the science of it all (like the vax no vax debate) but I just can't imagine a parent who would let their child die rather than treat them. I know this mother wants to use "natural cures" but it is cases like this for which medical science is a necessity.

The boy is 13 years old, not old enough to make this kind of life or death decision. Period. He has also obviously been brainwashed by his mother and her mis-guided beliefs. If he does die, then I hope the mother is held criminally responsible (as was the mother in a recent case who denied medical treatment for her dying daughter and chose prayer instead) because this is neglect and a serious lack of respect for your child's life.

[Kaelaasmom]

Chemotherapy and radiation are often worse than the cancer itself. And since cancer is not curable, it is only put into remission where it can return at any time, I can see why these parents wouldn't want to put their son through that.

This is a 13 year old young man, not a baby. If he and his parents feel that they don't want to do the conventional treatment, that should be their choice.

The government spends way too much time trying to decide what people do with their own bodies and not enough time worrying about the real troubles in the world. 

[Kaelaasmom]

Quoting aidansmommy961:

The boy is 13 years old, not old enough to make this kind of life or death decision. Period. He has also obviously been brainwashed by his mother and her mis-guided beliefs. If he does die, then I hope the mother is held criminally responsible (as was the mother in a recent case who denied medical treatment for her dying daughter and chose prayer instead) because this is neglect and a serious lack of respect for your child's life.

There is a difference between doing nothing and not doing the mainstream thing. This woman is seeking an alternative to treatments that make the patient violently ill and leave them at risk of dieing from the most common of germs. I don't see how that is neglect OR a lack of respect.

[athenax3]

I am oddly on the fence here. The maternal, human side of my mind tells me denying this young man treatment is killing him as surely as shooting or stabbing him would be- and the fact that his mother seems to be the lead on this murderous path is frankly sickening.

However, I struggle with forced treatment of anyone. While this particular story makes me want to smack a dumb bitch for killing her son with her brainwashed mentality- there is definitely a legal issue here that  I wouldn't want to set precedent for- forcing specific care on individuals- that is a perilous edge that I deeply feel we must avoid, even at the cost of this poor dumb family and this innocent child who apparently will die for no good reason if left to his mothers idiotic choices.

[rotPferd]

I cringed when I read about this. My mom did the same thing with my dad when he got prostrate cancer. He did have a few radiation treatments, but my mom changed his diet, used all kinds of holistic medicenes, even bought heat lamps. My dad went along with it just because he didn't want to fight with her and he died 18 mos later anyway. I'm not even sure if it prolonged his life in any way. I think there is a way to do both, but I don't think they should wait too long to do the chemo. And like athenx said, we sure don't want gov't to come in and tell us what to do in these kinds of situations.

[Kassie09]

Absolutely not!

If they do,and the child dies...and the parents could of done something,and didn't,then the local DA should charge them with murder!

There is no reason a parent(s) should not do everything possible to take care of their kids.

[stormcris]

In this case yes, I think they should be allowed to use something other than chemo. Guess what? The Cancer Treatment Center of America supports alternative medicine. I would feel entirely different if they chose no medicine.

This is particular the regimen for Hodkins:

Naturopathic Practice at CTCA

While naturopaths are trained to be primary care physicians, some choose to emphasize particular treatment methods (see below) and others may concentrate on particular medical fields such as pediatrics, gynecology, allergies, arthritis, etc.

Even though it has its own therapeutic specialties, naturopathic medicine incorporates the natural therapies of many different healing traditions. What makes a therapy part of the naturopathic scope of practice is the way it is applied, (i.e., on the basis of the six naturopathic principles of healing). The current scope of naturopathic practice includes, but is not limited to:

Clinical Nutrition:  That "food is the best medicine" is a cornerstone of naturopathic practice. CTCA naturopaths collaborate with our dietitians to support Hodgkin's disease patients with healthy dietary options and nutritional supplementation.

Botanical Medicine:  Many plant substances are powerful medicines. Where single chemically derived drugs may address only a single problem, botanical medicines are able to address a variety of problems simultaneously. Natural botanicals also tend to have less toxic side effects than chemically derived drugs due to their organic nature and natural compatibility with the body's own chemistry.

Physical Medicine:  Naturopathic medicine has its own methods of therapeutic manipulation of muscles, bones and spine. CTCA naturopaths collaborate with our rehabilitation therapist to use ultrasound, diathermy (the controlled production of "deep heating" beneath the skin in the subcutaneous tissues, deep muscles and joints for therapeutic purposes), exercise, massage, water, heat and cold, and gentle electrical therapies.

Chinese Medicine:  Chinese medicine is a healing philosophy that naturally complements naturopathic medicine. Meridian theory offers an important understanding of the unity of the body and mind and adds to the Western understanding of physiology. Acupuncture is one oriental medicine technique offered by CTCA for Hodgkin’s disease that can help stimulate the immune system and the healing response.

Psychological Medicine:  Mental attitudes and emotional states may influence, or even cause, physical illness. Counseling, nutritional balancing, stress management, hypnotherapy, biofeedback and other therapies are used to help patients heal psychologically. Mind-body specialists at CTCA provide counseling and other methods to psychological and emotional support.

Homeopathic Medicine:  Homeopathic medicine is based on the principle of "like cures like." Clinical observation indicates that it works on a subtle, yet powerful, energetic level, gently acting to strengthen the body's healing and immune response and triggering a healing process.

Naturopathic practice also includes the use of any medical substances that contain elements that are components of bodily tissues, or can be employed by the body, for the maintenance of life and the repair of tissues. This also encompasses methods of diagnostic testing and imaging, including X-ray and ultrasound.

[WildKat]

If there was only a slim chance of the chemo helping, and the child had already suffered a lot - then I wouldn't force parents to do it.  But in this case, where docs said he had a 95% cure chance with chemo and almost no chance of living without it - I think the parents were being incredibly negligent.

Peace,

Kat

[cowgirlsr2]

I'm sorry but I am dealing with not quiet the exact same problem but something similiar right now and that is my daughter has a tumor under her right thyroid.She is aware of it and has also been around 3 relatives with cancer and watched 1 die with chemo 1 survive and the other has opted not to take anything and is not doing well. Know until her tumor reaches 1 cm they will not biopsy. We stay calm and leave to the only man who has the power to help and really do something and so far it has been good. But my daughter made it clear she would take any treatment except the one that makes all your hair fall out.She is 13 and I will honor her wish if it comes down to it.I have a very smart and mature daughter who has already been through it do to her sperm donor and I do not wish to make it any harder on her and I know she knows the outcome all the way around. No i never want to lose her but that is not in my hands that is in gods hands and even if she gets all treatments she may not make it .God may have already had made other plans for her and I can not change them and no doctor or goverment can either and I sure do not want her to suffer at anyone elses hands or decision. If some doctors says he is 95% sure does he have a line to god because if he does I would like the # please I have a ? or 2 I would like to ask.And if my religous response offends someone I am somewhat sorry but this is what I base my life on and I truly believe he is the man with our fate in his hands not anyone else so I tempt him not but I aslo know he has mine and my families life planned for us and will not let us suffer much as long as our faith in him is true and strong and he will do the same for all if they just believe in him to.