Re: Curious what others think - 16-year-old refuses chemo


Mary_Gordon@xxxxxxx wrote:
But here is the deal, Cathy - untreated, or treated with junk
alternative stuff, Hodgkin's disease follows a relentlessly progressive
and ultimately fatal course.

However, recent advances in therapy make Hodgkin's disease potentially
curable, even in advanced stages. Appropriate treatment yields a 5-year
survival rate of about 90%.

So, the kid is giving up a 90% shot at survival for 100% chance of
dying because he hated the short term side effects of the treatment.

See, I think the question is 'at what age is someone allowed to make
this decision,' not so much what the expected odds of survival are --
expected odds leads one down a slippery slope (if it were 70/30, would
his choice be viable? if the odds were flipped, and his parents were
advocating a very aggressive treatment, would their decision be 'okay'
in the eyes of the state, if he was against it?).

Likewise, for adults of advanced age, is it okay to agressively treat a
cancer with a very high probability of survival if the adult does not
want to undergo treatment? I'd argue it isn't, as the treatment
decision rests with the recipient if they are 'of age and sentience' --
but my decision is tempered by seeing both parents opt to refuse food
and water when faced with terminal and non-terminal health issues.

Caledonia

.

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