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APNewsBreak: Girl says she knows she'll die without chemo

Hatuey

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APNewsBreak: Girl says she knows she'll die without chemo

Cassandra told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview from her hospital it disgusts her to have "such toxic harmful drugs" in her body and she'd like to explore alternative treatments. She said by text she understands "death is the outcome of refusing chemo" but believes in "the quality of my life, not the quantity."

"Being forced into the surgery and chemo has traumatized me," Cassandra wrote in her text. "I do believe I am mature enough to make the decision to refuse the chemo, but it shouldn't be about maturity, it should be a given human right to decide what you want and don't want for your own body."

"Cassandra either intentionally misrepresented her intentions to the trial court or she changed her mind on this issue of life and death," Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers said.

Cassandra is confined in a room at Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, where she's being forced to undergo chemotherapy, which doctors said would give her an 85 percent chance of survival. [FONT=Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Without it, they said, there was a near certainty of death within two years.[/FONT]


Cassandra said in her text to the AP she believes there's "a natural way or at least an alternative to chemo out there that I am willing to look for and explore. Not that it would cure the cancer but it may help it."
On one side, she's an idiot who can be cured. On the other, she has a right to be an idiot and die because of that. Not sure how I feel about this but I smell the anti-science stench a mile away.
 
What she wants to do is equivilant to suicide. If she gets the chemo I think her recovery rate is about 80+%, if she doesnt it is less than almost none. The question in this case is why does she want to die and should society just let her? I think suicide should remain illegal.
Obviously she doesn't have a right to die without treatment or this wouldn't be a story.
 
What she wants to do is equivilant to suicide. If she gets the chemo I think her recovery rate is about 80+%, if she doesnt it is less than almost none. The question in this case is why does she want to die and should society just let her? I think suicide should remain illegal.

She doesn't want her body to be ravaged by chemo.

The real story here is the government taking custody and forcing her to do it. She can buy birth control, serve in the military and several other adult duties but, the government claims to own her body and mind.
 
Obviously she doesn't have a right to die without treatment or this wouldn't be a story.

What !akes it a story, is that the over-reaching government thinks she doesn't have that right and they want to use their tyrranical authority to force her to go through treatment. However, she most certainly has the right to refuse treatment.
 
Do you think she should be allowed to commit suicide?
She doesn't want her body to be ravaged by chemo.

The real story here is the government taking custody and forcing her to do it. She can buy birth control, serve in the military and several other adult duties but, the government claims to own her body and mind.

What !akes it a story, is that the over-reaching government thinks she doesn't have that right and they want to use their tyrranical authority to force her to go through treatment. However, she most certainly has the right to refuse treatment.
 
Do you think she should be allowed to commit suicide?

Its her choice and her right to refuse treatment. Do I agree? Hell no! But, unlock abortion, this girl is making her own choice. Are you pro abortion?
 
Do you think she should be allowed to commit suicide?

She says she wants to seek alternative treatments.

I had a friend who was going through 3 years of chemo until he had a fatal heart attack. I suspect the chemo weakened his heart.

The State shouldn't be allowed to strap her down and force procedures and chemicals upon her body no matter what. Do you think they should be allowed?
 
No I beleive abortion is killing a human life, and I dont think she should be allowed to commit suicide. This isnt one of those things where she will be miserable for a while and die anyway. It is likely if she undergoes treatment she will live a long happy life. If not she is just die. Get off the goobermnet bad thing for a minute and think about right and wrong, not right and left.
Its her choice and her right to refuse treatment. Do I agree? Hell no! But, unlock abortion, this girl is making her own choice. Are you pro abortion?
 
No I beleive abortion is killing a human life, and I dont think she should be allowed to commit suicide. This isnt one of those things where she will be miserable for a while and die anyway. It is likely if she undergoes treatment she will live a long happy life. If not she is just die. Get off the goobermnet bad thing for a minute and think about right and wrong, not right and left.

The government doesn't have the authority to force her to undergo treatment. Its her right to refuse treatment. Right, or wrong; like it, or not, that's the way it is. I don't believe the government should be able to force your beliefs on someone else.
 
I do not think she should be allowed to commit suicide, and refusing treatment is exactly that. Do you think she should be allowed to committ sucide?
The government doesn't have the authority to force her to undergo treatment. Its her right to refuse treatment. Right, or wrong
 
No I beleive abortion is killing a human life, and I dont think she should be allowed to commit suicide. This isnt one of those things where she will be miserable for a while and die anyway. It is likely if she undergoes treatment she will live a long happy life. If not she is just die. Get off the goobermnet bad thing for a minute and think about right and wrong, not right and left.

So you're all for the government locking someone in a room against their will, and forcing them to take in arguably harmful chemicals into her body against her will....Hmmm...Way to go Marine. *shakes head*
 
So you are all for letting children kill themselves? Cause that is exactly what you are saying. Get off the gooberment bad thing for a minute and think. Do you really want to let this girl die for no reason?
So you're all for the government locking someone in a room against their will, and forcing them to take in arguably harmful chemicals into her body against her will....Hmmm...Way to go Marine. *shakes head*
 
Just out of couristy, do you think the nurses and doctors coming back from treating ebola patients should be isolated even if not contagious?
So you're all for the government locking someone in a room against their will, and forcing them to take in arguably harmful chemicals into her body against her will....Hmmm...Way to go Marine. *shakes head*
 
She's 17. When she turns 18 she can decide if she wants to let herself die, until then matured minds make her decisions for her.
 
Do you think she should be allowed to commit suicide?

Commit suicide? Where does suicide come in to it? There is no suicide here, that's crazy to suggest. Should she listen to her doctors and follow their suggestions and course of action? Probably yes, but not doing so is not suicide, it's perhaps foolish.
 
She's 17. When she turns 18 she can decide if she wants to let herself die, until then matured minds make her decisions for her.

The mature minds in this case are her parents, not the state. This is less about this particular person and more about when does a state have the right to decide what is best for a child without the consent of the parents. Do children belong to their legal parent/guardian or do they really belong to the state. Obviously in cases where there is neglect or abuse it's one thing.... but there was no neglect or abuse in this case, at least none identified so far.
 
If you are almost certain to live if you take the chemo and almost certain to die without it, and you can take it and refuse, what do you call it? Its suicide.
Commit suicide? Where does suicide come in to it? There is no suicide here, that's crazy to suggest. Should she listen to her doctors and follow their suggestions and course of action? Probably yes, but not doing so is not suicide, it's perhaps foolish.
 
Letting her die for no reason is clearly abuse.
The mature minds in this case are her parents, not the state. This is less about this particular person and more about when does a state have the right to decide what is best for a child without the consent of the parents. Do children belong to their legal parent/guardian or do they really belong to the state. Obviously in cases where there is neglect or abuse it's one thing.... but there was no neglect or abuse in this case, at least none identified so far.
 
So you are all for letting children kill themselves? Cause that is exactly what you are saying. Get off the gooberment bad thing for a minute and think. Do you really want to let this girl die for no reason?

Well, it's just not the government's decision. Now if her mother (her only legal guardian) decided she should have the chemo, that's another thing. But the mother is on her side in the matter. For the hospital to take the decision away from them where the decision affects only her is wrong. The liberty to live is also the liberty to choose death.
 
Are you pro Euthanasia? I am just thinking this thru, professionally I am interested in medical ethics.
Well, it's just not the government's decision. Now if her mother (her only legal guardian) decided she should have the chemo, that's another thing. But the mother is on her side in the matter. For the hospital to take the decision away from them where the decision affects only her is wrong. The liberty to live is also the liberty to choose death.
 
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