The State knows what's best for your children?

krish

When I first heard the news yesterday I thought the Jehovah's Witnesses aspect might be relevant. But today that has not been said.  And believe me the authorities would have mentioned that today to support their case.
It is a about the type of radiation therapy, and the NHS does not have the latest.

Maybe the doctor could not justify the expense of sending the child abroad as he thought it was a lost cause anyway? But please allow the parents to choose how they help their much loved child.

alexw3

^^^ yep,  as I put in the edit ... it's the crazy beliefs and quackery based medical neglect that I feel deserves overruling/prosecution

DandyAndy

Typically if it is a young child who is not capable of making a choice where he/she fully understands the consequences and the parents refuse treatment the parents are over-ruled and the child is treated.  They are however not charged.

If the child is adult enough to understand the consequences of non-treatment the childs wishes are respected and he/she is usually not treated.  This has happened with teenagers and has resulted in their deaths.

Do I have the right to refuse treatment? - Health questions - NHS Choices

IMO a parent should NOT have the right to choose death for a child when that child could be saved (note this is different from providing palative care to terminally sick children).  It is the childs life and not the parents.  The childs life should be put first until such time as they have the capacity to make such choices themselves.

alexw3

The parents should have a choice of appropriate treatment if that means having to go abroad then that be should arranged, the hospital state they offered to help with transportation abroad!  With the child being fed through Nasogastric intubation what I can see in the news, I reckon the concerns were around his method of transportation due to complications arising around the tube, you can die if they become misplaced.  Its not a journey I would fancy doing anytime!

krish

To be honest it looks like we don't have the facts of the story and conclusions are being made that should wait until those facts come to light.

loz

It does make me sick when a child who has essentially been brainwashed their whole life dies from their own decision to refuse a routine treatment. I really wish those parents could be held to account.

Cliff

I wasn't quoting your or directly referring to your post BTW.  Just asking the question in general.

alexw3

TBH I would be happy to see some damming facts squarely putting the blame on the parents, that they were totally irresponsible, and to save the life of the child Interpol were called in. It would restore some faith in the authorities. But so far they seem to be on the back foot.

Ashya King: Hampshire police defend international hunt for missing child | UK news | theguardian.com

DandyAndy

Well as I said I don't think we know the full story.  For example from dandyandy's post it seems that the hospital offered to help transport the child abroad.

Did they?  Didn't they?  If they did why didn't it happen that way as I would think hospital involvement would have been safer for the child.  Etc, etc.   We just don't know.

kav

Thanks for this Cliff, I hadn't seen any news for about 24 hours so missed the updates. The last I heard was there was speculation the family were JW's looking to remove medical care from the child due to their beliefs, and at that point I was on the side of the NHS/police. However my opinion has changed to the polar opposite view now and it beggars belief that in this situation they are seeking extradition.