The Axiom Of Responsibility
Individuals Demonstrate Valid Behavior
By Taking Responsibility
For Themselves And Their Children
It seems as though there is a constant stream of horrific stories about parental abuse, neglect, and murder, and it makes us sick. Just consider the stories of 13-year-old Daniel Hauser and 14-year-old Alexander Draper making Internet headlines this afternoon:
Daniel [Hauser] was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and stopped chemotherapy in February after a single treatment. He and his parents [Colleen and Anthony Hauser] opted instead for "alternative medicines" based on their religious beliefs. Child protection workers accused Daniel's parents of medical neglect; but in court, his mother insisted the boy wouldn't submit to chemotherapy for religious reasons and she said she wouldn't comply if the court orders it.
Doctors have said Daniel's cancer had up to a 90 percent chance of being cured with chemotherapy and radiation. Without those treatments, doctors said his chances of survival are 5 percent.
Daniel's parents have been supporting what they say is their son's decision to treat the disease with nutritional supplements and other alternative treatments favored by the Nemenhah Band. The Missouri-based religious group believes in natural healing methods advocated by some American Indians. [. . .] Daniel's tumor shrunk after the first chemotherapy session, but X-rays show it has grown since he stopped the chemotherapy. ("Judge Rules Family Can't Refuse Chemo For Boy")
Given his age, coupled with the fact that "court filings also indicated [he] has a learning disability and can't read," Daniel is in no position to make decisions regarding his treatment, and it is negligent for his parents to give him this responsibility. To make matters worse, after Brown County District Judge John Rodenberg ordered Colleen and Anthony Hauser to seek traditional cancer treatment for their son, Colleen fled with Daniel to Mexico. ("Daniel Hauser's Dad Pleas For Mom, Cancer Teen Fleeing Chemo To Return Home") As to the claim that this order violates the Hausers' religious freedom: Religious freedom, which protects against governmental persecution for worshiping in one's chosen manner, does not give parents the right to criminally neglect their children.
Next comes the story of negligent mother Jerri Gray of Greenville County, S.C., whose son Alexander Draper is 555 pounds and "at a critical stage of health risk." When the state ordered the boy to be taken into protective custody "due to medical neglect," Gray also fled with her son. ("Mom, 555-Pound Son Found In Baltimore") Fortunately, the two "were found hundreds of miles from their home [. . .] parked near a Laundromat in Baltimore, MD."
According to Magna Sententia, parents are responsible for their children's health. These awful stories of medical neglect will hopefully remind all of us that we do not own our children. They are our responsibility, and we must treat them with the utmost care and respect.
Anna and Ellie Sherise
Creators of Magna Sententia
Authors of Magna Sententia: The Logical Cure for Our Society