[crick]

4 children in Corpus Christy, TX were removed from their home yesterday because the state has decided the oldest daughter (12 years) is being "medically neglected". Her parents decided against the dr's. recommendation that she have radiation treatments following the chemotherapy she has received for hodgkins disease. According to the medical reports, she is currently cancer free and the parents have decided against radiation due to this reason.

I'm just sickened...really. If the dr's felt her parents were harming their daughter by not having this treatment, then couldn't they have provided alternative treatments? And why block the parent's from getting a 2nd or 3rd opinion? Isn't it the parent's right?

Obviously I'm not a dr. and the details of treatments etc. are a whole other issue. My main issue here though is how removing all of the children from the home benefits anyone??? These children are not being neglected in my opinion. What good does it do to the family to rip them apart? And if the state really feels the oldest daughter is being medically neglected and must follow protocol, why does the protocol have to include the other children who have nothing to do with this? It's not a case of abuse where you need to be sure the remaining children are also not being abused.

The judge in the case has decided to return the kids home by Friday, but in my opinion, the kids should not have been removed at all. Surely there were better ways to handle this? Couldn't the state have gone to a judge in the first place and filed something to take the medical issue to court without taking the children out of the home?

Don't get me wrong, I believe the state needs to step in due to abuse, neglect etc. but this time it just isn't sitting well with me. I feel like I have to close my blinds and lock my doors so no one knows I haven't put the laundry away, the breakfast dishes are still in the sink, and it's been 2 days since I gave my kids a bath. And no...yesterday they did not eat their 3 servings of veggies.

Thoughts?

[leaabc123]

While, I don't think the other children should have been removed. I think (or hope) that there is more to the story than we are hearing.

[echaos]

Wow... That's pretty scary!

I'm dealing with neighbours right now that have been living in their car for a week and half, 2 adults a 7 year old, a 5 year old and a 6 month old, after being evicted for not paying their rent. Neither adult has a job, nor have they shown any initiative to get one. CAS here in Nova Scotia has been around... checking to see if they need help.... not looking to take the kids away. They have given them a deadline to find a place to live.... but until then ????

I guess this is just one more difference between Canada and the US.

[crick]

Me too...the above is what I got from this morning's "Today Show". Should have mentioned that first...sorry...

[echaos]

Here's a link to the story....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8146167/

According to this the mother is in jail for "abducting" her daughter.... they went so far as issuing an amber alert.

It really begs the question; "at what age should a child have the right to make their own medical decisions?

[79nic]

This thread reminded me of a story.... Apparently doctors can get court orders so that hospitals can become the legal guardians for unborn children when a woman declines to have a c-section, when the doctors deem the c-section necessary to save the baby's life.

Very scary stuff. Apparently parents in America have less medical decision-making power than we think.

http://advocatesforpregnantwomen.org..._c-section.htm