Results: Court rules on case of teen refusing cancer treatment
Published on 01/12/2015
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a 17-year-old girl with cancer must continue to get chemotherapy against her will. The girl, identified in court documents as Cassandra C., had asked the court to allow her to make her own medical decisions, even though she won't turn 18 until September. But CBS Connecticut reports the justices unanimously upheld a lower court ruling ordering her to continue treatment. Doctors said the treatment would give her an 85 percent chance of survival, but without it she would likely die within two years. The family searched for alternative treatments, but a judge ordered Cassandra to undergo chemotherapy
QUESTIONS
GO to COMMENTS
Comments
1.
1.
How old should a person be before they can make their own medical decisions?
Under 10
2%
61 votes
10-15
6%
175 votes
16-18
34%
995 votes
18+
58%
1713 votes
2.
2.
Do you think the court made the right call by forcing her to have chemotherapy? Yes
50%
1466 votes
No
50%
1478 votes
3.
3.
Cassandra underwent two chemotherapy treatments in November and then ran away from home and refused to continue treatments, according to the court summary. The mother's attorney asked the court to recognize what's known as the "mature minor doctrine," which allows 16- and 17-year-olds in some states to get a judge's permission to make medical decisions for themselves. But the justices said Cassandra had not proven mature enough or competent to make those decisions, citing the fact that she had run away from home. Do you agree with this decision? Yes
50%
1478 votes
No
50%
1466 votes
4.
4.
The state Department of Children and Families issued the following statement: "When experts -- such as the several physicians involved in this case -- tell us with certainty that a child will die as a result of leaving a decision up to a parent, then the Department has a responsibility to take action. Even if the decision might result in criticism, we have an obligation to protect the life of the child when there is consensus among the medical experts that action is required." Do you agree with this statement? Yes
56%
1660 votes
No
44%
1284 votes
COMMENTS