Question of the Day: One more on the Cherrix case

One more quick vote on the case of Starchild Abraham Cherrix, the 16-year-old cancer patient who wrangled with Virginia social workers over his right to determine his own treatment. Set against another round of chemotherapy and radiation treatments for his Hodgkin's disease, Cherrix instead chose to try an alternative therapy provided by a clinic in Mexico. A social worker became concerned and for a time Cherrix's parents had to share custody with child protective services, with a juvenile court judge finally ruling that the young man must report to the hospital for the conventional treatments. A circuit court judge overturned that decision on appeal, scheduling a new hearing which ended today with an agreement that Cherrix must be under the care of an oncologist experienced in radiation therapy, but it can be one who has an interest in alternative treatments. The agreement also specified that Cherrix's parents were not medically negligent. All and all, it seems a satisfactory conclusionto a case that quite possibly should never have been a case in the first place -- or should it have been? Do you think this was appropriate, or should the original ruling forcing Cherrix to undergo treatment that is generally successful have stood? Express your opinion on this final chapter by selecting a choice from the poll at left, or pick "other" and explain yourself in the comments.

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