While I agree that parents should do whatever they can for their children, that's not really the issue here. This family, for reasons they shouldn't be required to explain, feel that their religious beliefs prevent them from using typical modern-day medical treatements. Instead, their beliefs tend to lead them toward more natural, herbal treatments. Who are we to say their beliefs are wrong? the writer talked about the "height of arrogance". I feel the doctor wasn't the only arrogant one. So were the judges, and even the people who helped enforce that judgement.
The Constitution of the US guarantees us freedom from government intervention in our religious practices. In my opinion, the US government overstepped it's boundaries by encroaching on this family's religious rights.
I'd also like to comment on the statement "And I’m sorry, but Danny doesn’t get a say here". To me, that's even a higher form of arrogance. When do we consider a child a child, and an adult an adult? Why is it that in one court, a "child" can be tried as an "adult", with life-changing penalties thrust upon him, and in the next courtroom, a "child" exactly the same age is considered a "child", and is not allowed to make life-changing determiniations for himself?
Something is wrong here, and I'll tell you what it is. Our judicial system is broken and our Constitutional rights are under attack from within. Judges are legislating from the bench, and our legislators are on the take.
How long will we citizens sit back before we do something about repossessing our nation?

I had hodgkins stage 4, its been 18 years since my last chemo treatment.It is highly treatable. And yeah..the chemo makes you sick and is unpleasant...so are alot of things in life.These parents and their kid should be grateful he doen't have nonHodgkins it is much more deadly and the outlook is grim.Kids everyday endure painful bone marrow transplants and rounds of chemo with a much worse prognosis, and would gladly switch places with this kid.

This case is no differant than someone that would deny a diabetic child insulin and allow them to drift off into a diabetic coma and die. Because you thought god would save them?? And they didn't like those shots. That was acceptable 150 years ago.

He thinks the chemo sucks, don't take it and in about 6 months to a year and allow god to work his magic..he will know what true pain is. And when he dies a painful , lingering death, all the ones crying about the parents rights will be asking Why didn't someone do something?? And some judge will have to go home to his family knowing a simple ruling would have saved his life.

My son did three years of treatment and still lost his battle with his cancer his outlook was bad he only had a 20% success rating but he fought every day. He did several rounds of chemo almost two years worth each month and bone marrow he had radiation. And several long hour surgeries. He hardly ever complained. He would always say "Mom sometimes we do what we have to do even when we don't want to and we do it with a smile on our face." He was seven when he passed he was four when he started treatment. Yeah as a parent it would kill me to watch him go through the pain but I can tell these parents this it killed me even more to watch him pass on to be with God. There are cancers out there that do not respond very well to treatment like my sons but the cancer this child has does respond very well, but to take the decision from him and his family on his treatment is wrong. Had my son at the age of seven came to me and said I don't want to do this anymore I would have let him made that decison. Most of these kid’s are wise beyond there years they have to be.

I find it odd and a tad hypocritical that some people seem to pick and choose who's life is important enough for the government to step in and protect. Can't have it both ways. And don't give me the "religious freedom" crap. Hypocrites.

Sorry to hear about your child joe...I cannot even begin to grasp what losing a child is like. I am waiting for the day, but it won't come, when we quit spending BILLIONS..with a B, on Mars rovers, joy riding in the space shuttle etc...and then have to have fundraisers for cancer research because ther is no funding.

And yes....religious freaks go as far as shooting an abortion doctor, and picket and scream and holler about abortion is murder and god doesn't want this..blah blah blah..but they want to give these people a hug because they want to let their son die?? A woman doesn't have the right to terminate a pregnancy and is going to burn in hell, but if you hold up a bible and let your kid die..you deserve your rights.

Look, folks...I absolutely do NOT defend the idiot that killed Dr. Tiller. That has nothing to do with this debate. That whacko needs to pay dearly for his crime...and that's exactly what it was...a crime.

Some people DO have religious beliefs that prevent them from using conventional medical treatment. Do I understand that? Nope...but I respect their opposing view. Would I let anything stand in the way of getting my child the medical care they need, even if there's only a slim chance it'll work? Nope...I'd still see to it my child gets the care they need.
I still need someone to tell me how you can try a 14 year old as an adult, and in some cases, put them away for the rest of their lives, and in another case, say that a 14 year old doesn't have the mental capacity to make life and death decisions. Those two don't jive.

I thnk some of you need to chill...and not be so disrectful and derrogatory toward religious people. Your retorts are unwarranted and intolerant. Yes, in some cases, like this one, lives hang in the balance, but the Constitution guarantees our religious freedom, and the US government overstepped its bounds this time.

wasn't the religion bit something that came up AFTER the first chemo session? i understood that it was a legal "dodge".

this kid had a particularly nasty reaction to his first chemo. among other things his gums swelled to the point that they covered his teeth. from watching my own mother follow blindly with the first chemo doc and nearly die from the treatments, i can say that ( at least in her case) the dosage was toxic, and it was deemed entirely possible for her to have just as efficacious treatment by lowering the strength of the treatments minutely and adding two additional treatments on the end.

doctors use a formula to determine the strength of chemotherapy, and sometimes a patient does not fit the equation. one Does have the right to question and to Demand a second and third opinion.

that said, these parents were in the wrong not to show their son the way to fight rather than flight.

Why can't we just let this kid make his own decision? Why is it OK for a 14 year old girl to opt for an abortion, without parental consent, but it's not OK for a 14 year old boy to decide he doesn't want a particular medical treatment? To me, it doesn't matter if this is a religious issue or not. It SHOULD be his decision. At what age do we allow a kid to make adult decisions, and live with adult consequences? You can't treat a 14 year old as a child in one instance, yet treat another 14 year old as an adult in another instance. Society, and the courts, MUST make a choice one way or another. They can't have it both ways.

I guess I'd like to further make my point by asking the question that pro-abortionists always ask. Why can't this boy make his own decision with regard to his own body? In other words, what he does with, or about, his own body is no one's business but his own....right?? How would many of you react if a 14 year old girl was FORCED, by a doctor, and the court, to carry an unwanted "fetus" to full term, and be forced to deliver the baby? On the other hand, how would many of you react if a doctor, with the support of the courts, forced a 14 year old girl to have an abortion, to terminate an unwanted pregnancy? Look, folks, you can't have it both ways. Either a 14 year old boy is a child, and can't be treated as an adult, or he CAN be treated as an adult...and with that, be allowed to make his own decision regarding his own health. Religion aside, the government has ZERO business getting into this kids personal affairs.

****They can't have it both ways****

My point exactly. if it was against their religion, why do it in the first place? It wasn't then, but it is now?? And I am not religious at all..but do respect peoples faith..alot more than they do my views. But isn't there something in the bible about false idols??? Pretty much covering every other belief but christianity?? What exactly would some Indian medicine man be practicing that fit into their religion?? That is OK..but conventional medicine isn't?

And not sure where a 14 year old can get an abortion on their own..but that is a State by State thing. But as a 14 year old, I knew everything..but later after growing up realized I knew nothing. The 14 year old getting an abortion may live to regret it as they get older...this kid won't be able to regret anything..he will just be dead.

We make laws to protect children, as we should. From neglect and abuse and from parents that just don't care. If you beat your child..its a crime, if a school teacher paddles a 14 year old..its child abuse, but if you claim your religion and allow a kid to die..its all good??

If this kid was terminal, I would be all for letting him do whatever he wanted, but to just let him die from a treatable form of cancer is not only sad...but criminal.

I agree, rk...trust me. I think ANY parent would go to the ends of the earth to protect their child. I know I would....and I HAVE. Although my child didn't have cancer, my child DID have a terrible medical problem early in her life, and I COULD have done the same thing these parents are doing...and just let her go.
I don't understand a religion that would make a person let their child die. I feel God entrusts us with children, and He expects us to use common sense and mankind's technology to keep them healthy. After all, if these people are truly believers in God, surely they understand that all knowledge comes from God, according to the Bible. As such, then ANY knowledge/wisdom that man possesses is from God, and could and SHOULD be used to take care of ourselves and our children....right?

I guess I'm trying to make another point. My point is that the government is being terrifically hypocritical in this area. On one hand, they are allowing 14 year old girls to make adult decisions about their "own body". Yet, they won't allow this boy to make such a decision. The government routinely tries 14 and 15 yearl old kids as adults, and sometimes, the results of those trials is life in prison....or even the death penalty. The government, in those cases, considers a 14 or 15 year old to have made an "adult" decision to commit an "adult" crime, so they should be tried and sentenced as "adults". However, in this case, they consider this person a "child"...a "boy", and as such, incapable and ineligible for making his own decisions. I'm not defending the boy's decision, nor that of his parents. I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy demonstrated by the government. This is governmental intrusion at its highest level, and it's wrong.

I'd even go further. It's not made it into our local papers, but in San Diego, California, a minister and his wife have been holding Bible studies in their home. The city officials of San Diego have ordered them to cease and desist, citing they aren't zoned for gatherings. Now....were that gathering simply a BBQ...no problem. Were it a group of friends gathering to play cards...no problem. For some reason, it's come to the attention of the wise ones in City Hall in San Diego that it's a Bible study, so they shut it down, threatening huge fines and other legal action. Where does it stop? When is enough enough? When do the citizens of our nation stand up and say "Butt out" to the government intruders? In my own home, in my own family, and in my own life, I have a right to make my own decisions without intrusion by Big Brother.
I am NOT a conspiracy theorist. I'm just a regular guy who want's to be left alone. I don't need, or WANT, the government, be it local, state or federal, intruding on my personal life.

That is another issue entirely....and as usual, blown out of proportion. The county was responding to complaints from other homeowners..they did not kick down the doors to squash some bible class. This is just another example of how people hide behind religion to somehow exempt them from laws everyone else has to follow. What happens when the bible class cars clog up the entire cul de sac and someone needs an ambulance or fire truck?? God gonna move them??? Whast if it was a biker club meeting 3 times a week with bikes and cars lined up and down the street?? uh huh..ya..I know.,.thats differant.

And as for the outrage over the questions asked to determine what type of school was being held in a residential neighborhood??? Do you say hallalluya??..etc... several years back I bought a 14 ft aluminum boat for fishing. When I went to the courthouse to get my numbers for it ..I was asked...does it have a bathroom??? Stupid question..but they were required to ask it.

If the problem was the congestion and cars, certainly the city could have worked out the issue with them, rather than just tell them to stop. My point is....the government is overstepping it's boundaries by infringing on our Constitutional rights. It's wrong...and needs to stop. As for them asking you about a bathroom on a 14' boat...shame on them for showing how ignorant they are. I don't CARE if it's a "requirement" for them to ask, there are some things that require just a smidgen of common sense.

As a matter of fact, many, if not all, of the situations we've all been discussing could be resolved with just the tiniest amount of common sense.....

(SIGH)

I for one..am all for less government. And I have had more personal freedoms lost in the last 10 years than in the 40 before that.

The questions are asked to determine how much you have to pay in tax.The girl obviously didn't know a thing about boats..but she was required to ask them. And as far as the bible school goes?? Buy the permit and shut up. They claim its to expensive..well ..you know what? A lot of things are out of reach for us, but if someone in the same neighborhood wants to open a school of any sort..they would get the same treatment. Who is screaming for their rights?? They pay taxes too. But no mention of them...just someone claiming nazis are squashing their religious rights.

If in deed it is their religous belief, let them deny themselves treatment for whatever ills they may have. The child is a minor and should be given the right to treatment. When the child becomes of legal age then let him decide for himself what he wants to do from then on.

Actually, rk, it wasn't a "bible school". It was a bible study. For those who don't understand the difference, a Bible study isn't an all-day instructional training situation. It's merely an hour or two where like-minded individuals gather to read a passage of scripture, discuss it, learn from each other, and pray. It's no different, WHATSOEVER, than a book-reading club or a poetry-reading club. People do THAT in private homes, too. The difficulty with this is that it was a Bible study. Were they reading "Moby Dick" and having a one or two hour discussion over THAT literature, I'd be willing to bet no one would have said a word.
There is a deep intolerance in this country being generated against Christianity. Although some of you have indicated you do not believe in God, at least not as I do, or not to the level I do, certainly you can understand that Christians should enjoy their Constitutional rights, just like any OTHER religion.

This is an emotional issue for some of us because we have had children with severe medical issues early in their lives. When my son was born, doctors prepared me for the worst, that he likely wouldn't survive. I signed the form giving the hospital permission to give him blood. Some religions believe that is a moral sin. I have watched as parents have made the heart breaking decision to stop medical treatments and let their child go rather that watch them suffer. You comfort them because you know this decision is not made lightly. This child had already had 2 organ transplants and had just received the 3rd transplant when he started showing signs of rejection. Do you allow your child to suffer or do you let him go? The teenager in the Mr. Boohers article was 14 years old and had only went through one chemo treatment. My heart and soul tells me you fight like hell to keep your child, you love them and encourage them and you urge them to fight on but you don't ever let them give up. You pray for Gods will to be done. I'm not even touching on the legal views and I don't care, each case has to be looked at based on its own merits. A 14 yr old stops chemo after round 1 versus a 7 year old who has fought the cancer fight for 4 years, you can't treat them the same.

The government should have NO right to dictate medical decisions or to criminalize someone for nonconformity. This case isn't only about the Hausers. It is about any one of us who might ever find himself in a similar situation. It is one of those "slippery slope" kind of matters in which the more that our private medical decisions are (allowed to be) dictated, the more they WILL INCREASINGLY(!) be dictated. The Hausers appear to be very caring parents who certainly had no intention of allowing Danny to die. Neither was Danny saying that he was giving up the fight. These people simply have a different philosphy of health & medicine. They say that it includes "do no harm". It probably also includes the conviction that the body is very good at correcting ITSELF when given the proper support. And the conviction that just because western medicine is bursting with technology, it doesn't follow that it should be used first & always & to the exclusion of other, often simpler approaches. I only wish that the Hausers had gone immediately to a different team of doctors when Danny was first diagnosed. Doctors who share that basic philosophy & who would have treated accordingly. That probably would have been better for Danny than their trying to go it alone developing their own treatment protocol. And it also might have looked a whole lot better to the judge!

The government has no right to make decisions for ANYONE regarding their personal health care choices.

Ok, first off, why were the questions of abortion and juvenile criminal justice even brought up? What do either of those issues have to do with the case in point? NOTHING!
The article is about a child with cancer and whether the PARENTS have the right to withhold medical treatment based on their religious beliefs. Sorry, this battle has been fought and won. The courts have held over and over that parents DO NOT have the right to withhold medical treatments from their children based on their own religious beliefs. Seventh Day Adventists and Christian Scientists have ended up in court over this issue. If Adventists have no right to refuse vaccination based on religion, and Christian Scientists cannot refuse blood transfusions for their children, why should these parents be allowed to refuse treatment for their child? Especially since the religious arguement came up late-after the first round of treatment

I also have a direct comment for Pops- I have read your comments on other articles, and they always sound the same as they do above. Okay, you are opposed to abortion and government intervention, and a man of deep faith (based on your postings). My question is, why do you always circle back around to abortion, no matter what the article is about you're responding to? And why, if you feel strongly about an issue, do you try to shift the dabate whenever you're challenged? case in point, what does the San Diego meeting/Bible study case have to do with this article about a family's fight against cancer? Staying on topic is more persuasive than bouncing all over the place. That's my opinion anyway.