A judge has again blocked an Ohio hospital from forcing a 10-year-old Amish girl
to resume chemotherapy after her parents decided to stop the
treatments.The order siding with the parents comes just a week after an appeals court sent the case back to the judge and told him to give more consideration to the request by Akron Children’s Hospital.
The hospital wants a registered nurse to take over limited guardianship of Sarah Hershberger and decide whether she should continue treatments for leukemia. The hospital believes Sarah’s leukemia is treatable and says she will die without chemotherapy.
Andy Hershberger, the girl’s father, said the family agreed to begin two years of treatments for Sarah last spring but stopped a second round of chemotherapy in June because it was making her extremely sick.
Judge
John Lohn, in Medina County, said in his ruling Tuesday that not allowing the
parents to make medical decisions for their daughter would take away their
rights. He also said there is no guarantee that chemotherapy would be
successful.
“They
are good parents,” he said. “They understand completely the grave situation
their daughter is in and the consequences of their choice to refuse chemotherapy
for Sarah at this time.”
Lohn said also that allowing for a guardian would go against the girl’s wishes.
Lohn said also that allowing for a guardian would go against the girl’s wishes.
Sarah may die or she may not. But, that's her and her parent's decision.
ReplyDeleteThe hospital should stay out of a family matter.
If you learn nothing else from this tragic case, come away from it knowing that hospitals have the power to take children and the elderly away from their loved ones if the family doesn't do exactly what they want.
ReplyDeleteBe every vigilant whenever you have to go into a hospital.
Remember what the hospital tried to do to Janet Bedin's mother?