Hello everyone. I know we all have our own opinions, and I respect them all. I only ask that each of you also respect my opinion, and read the following with a completely open mind.
The disease and treatment are immaterial to the discussion, and we are not talking about the decision of a boy, but a whole family.
Let's not complicate the issue with personal experiences and questionable details, and look at it as simply as we can...
A family was given medical advice.
The family found the advice unacceptable.
That should be their right.
Those of you who today applaud the violation of this family's decision, just because you do not agree with them should consider this... If the news today announced that the facts of the story were mistaken, and that the family actually wanted chemo, but the judge ruled that the risks were too great, and ordered them that they were not allowed to try it -- then you would immediately start screaming that the courts should not be dictating the choice.
You cannot have it both ways. You cannot say the government is allowed to violate someone's rights only when it goes along with your personal opinion.
The fact is that the decision should be the family's -- not yours, not mine, not the courts.
A loss of rights and freedoms may seem ok to you now, because they side with your opinion. This will not always be the case, so protect the rights, and remind yourself that no one knows everything, and everyone makes mistakes, and leave the personal decisions to the people to decide for themselves.
The boy is not too young to make the decision, but even if he was then the decision belongs with his parents (not the courts), and the parents agree with him.
If one treatment has worked for you, or one treatment has not worked for you, please remember that every treatment (even a treatment of letting nature take its course) has a chance of success, but no treatment has a 100% success rate. Every course of action has risks, and every person/family should have the right to decide if the risks are acceptable to them.
I want each and every one of you to take a deep breath and put away your anger and prejudices for a moment and simply consider this -- The next time you go to a doctor or dentist, for anything, do you want there to be a chance that you will be branded a criminal for refusing to be forced to go along with something that you (for whatever reason) are strongly against?
That is what this is all about, please do not let this be lost in all the details of all these discussions.
It is your right to have an opinion in what the best course of action is in this case, it is the goverment's right to have an opinion, and it is the family's right to have an opinion.
Try to recall all the advice you have been given by family and friends in your life that you chose not to follow. They were sure they were right, you were sure you were right, but you had the right to choose for yourself.
Let's all take steps to ensure that it is always the family's opinion which decides, whether we agree with them or not. Please.
