Parents lose custody in cancer case

Who decides on the proper treatment for a seriously ill child? Her parents? Her doctor? The patient herself? That's the question at the center of a battle playing out in Corpus Christi, Texas, where the parents of a 12-year-old with Hodgkins disease have lost custody of their daughter because they disagreed with her doctor on the need for radiation treatment. Katie Wernecke's mother, Michele, evaded the efforts of Child Protective Services to take custody of the girl, hiding with her at the family's ranch. When the authorities finally did catch up with them, they arrested the mother for interfering with child custody, took the daughter to the hospital to begin tests in preparation for the radiation treatment, and put her brothers into foster care. Katie's doctor and other medical professionals have asserted that radiation following chemotherapy is protocol for young Hodgkins patients, and that the strong recovery she's been making is endangered by skipping it. But both Katie and her parents have strongly stated that she doesn't need radiation, and the Werneckes have appealed in court to block the procedure and regain custody of their daughter. To read the family's side of the story, see their Weblog, Pray for Katie. And for more perspectives on medical ethics and parent's rights, read Who Decides There's No Hope? Euthanasia and Disabilities.