CT Supreme Court Decision: Teen can't refuse Chemo

Nurses Activism

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
Yes, with parental consent.

Or without, emancipation is an option.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.

I really really dont like the idea of anyone being forced to undergo medical treatment.

I can understand why this has been pushed especially when the type of cancer has an over 80% survival rate with cancer. I suspect this may be a case of daughter taking on mums beliefs as her own.

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Specializes in O.R. Nursing - ENT, CTC, Vasc..

I don't like the coercion, either. Just wish she'd do it; like someone else said - it's so treatable. Another question I have is, why'd her mom take her to the doctor in the first place if, whatever was wrong with the child, she wasn't going to treat with drugs anyway? I guess she just wanted to know what this is, killing her daughter? Maybe there's more to the story that no one but the social workers and courts

know.

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I'm trying to imagine being her nurse. I agree with the state of Connecticut, in this specific situation. But I'd still feel 'sorry' and conflicted giving chemo to a young lady so apparently set against it. I don't know how I could do it, emotionally, without needing a lot of self care and support I've never had to ask for. How awful for everyone concerned -- for now.

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Specializes in ICU.

I don't care if this cancer is curable. I don't care that she would die a preventable death without it. She should still be able to refuse the chemo! Would all of you people saying "she doesn't really know what she's doing" force blood on a Jehovah's Witness? This isn't any different. If she knows the treatment would save her life and she refused it... how is this different than someone deciding to be DNI? To be DNR? Should everybody be a full code no matter what just because someone else thinks its good for them? And then do we post SITTERS outside of their doors, so not only are they not allowed to sign AMA forms, but they are literally trapped like prisoners?

If we're going to treat people like this, maybe we should just put bars on peoples' hospital room doors already. Or maybe we can just throw sick people into prison with the criminals. This is reprehensible.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
I'm trying to imagine being her nurse. I agree with the state of Connecticut, in this specific situation. But I'd still feel 'sorry' and conflicted giving chemo to a young lady so apparently set against it. I don't know how I could do it, emotionally, without needing a lot of self care and support I've never had to ask for. How awful for everyone concerned -- for now.

Agree.

I guess my focus would be on trying to preserve the aspects of her life that she enjoys; understanding that she may (?) be angry for getting the chemo, but allowing her to have activities that she enjoys to be the focus, as well as time to vent about the ordeal. :yes:

Since we don't know the whole story I can not formulate an opinion. :no:

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I don't care if this cancer is curable. I don't care that she would die a preventable death without it. She should still be able to refuse the chemo! Would all of you people saying "she doesn't really know what she's doing" force blood on a Jehovah's Witness? This isn't any different. If she knows the treatment would save her life and she refused it... how is this different than someone deciding to be DNI? To be DNR? Should everybody be a full code no matter what just because someone else thinks its good for them? And then do we post SITTERS outside of their doors, so not only are they not allowed to sign AMA forms, but they are literally trapped like prisoners?

If we're going to treat people like this, maybe we should just put bars on peoples' hospital room doors already. Or maybe we can just throw sick people into prison with the criminals. This is reprehensible.

Please keep in mind that we are talking about a minor, who is not legally able to make most decisions about her own life, let alone whether to live or die. I, personally, and probably a lot of the other posters here, would happily support the right of an adult in her position to refuse treatment and die.

However, legally, the courts have found that minors have v. limited rights to make healthcare decisions for themselves, and the courts have also found that their parents have the right to make the choice to decline life-saving treatment for themselves, but they do not have the right to choose to let their children die by declining life-saving treatment. Personally, I agree with both those positions.

Once she turns 18 and is legally an adult, it will be a different ballgame, legally speaking. At that point, she has the right to decline any treatment she doesn't want, unless she is found to lack the mental capacity to make an informed decision about the treatment.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
I don't care if this cancer is curable. I don't care that she would die a preventable death without it. She should still be able to refuse the chemo!

I'm a really big fan on informed consent. If a child after having a fair and balanced exposure to all the facts about a particular treatment then chooses to decline treatment I'm ok with this at least. While I still have an issue with anyone being forced to have treatment I have a bigger issue with a child declining the treatment for a highly cureable disease based on their mothers hysteria about conventional medicine.

Would all of you people saying "she doesn't really know what she's doing" force blood on a Jehovah's Witness?
We have legislation that allows the surgeons to over rule the wishes of the jehovahs witness parents if not having the blood would result in the childs death.

This isn't any different. If she knows the treatment would save her life and she refused it... how is this different than someone deciding to be DNI? To be DNR?

A rather disengenuous comparison of apples and oranges there.

A really big difference between the patient with end stage melanoma who has lung and brain mets who chooses not to have a further course of radio therapy (to shrink the tumours) and a child who has a form of cancer that with treatment has an 85% chance of no reoccurence.

Should everybody be a full code no matter what just because someone else thinks its good for them? And then do we post SITTERS outside of their doors, so not only are they not allowed to sign AMA forms, but they are literally trapped like prisoners?

If we're going to treat people like this, maybe we should just put bars on peoples' hospital room doors already. Or maybe we can just throw sick people into prison with the criminals. This is reprehensible.

Not really, whats reprehensive is allowing a child to die, who (from what I've read) does not have all the facts about the course of treatment that has an 85% chance of surviving.

I work in community palliative care, and fiercely support someones right to decline treatment, I would however ensure that they have all the facts before making their decision.

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Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.

I cannot imagine being this patients RN. She has a PortaCath and is getting IV chemo ~ what if she interferes with the IV ~

I'm thinking that THAT would be a deal breaker for me if I had to restrain a seventeen year old girl in order to administer chemo.

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Specializes in Transitional Nursing.
I don't care if this cancer is curable. I don't care that she would die a preventable death without it. She should still be able to refuse the chemo! Would all of you people saying "she doesn't really know what she's doing" force blood on a Jehovah's Witness? This isn't any different. If she knows the treatment would save her life and she refused it... how is this different than someone deciding to be DNI? To be DNR? Should everybody be a full code no matter what just because someone else thinks its good for them? And then do we post SITTERS outside of their doors, so not only are they not allowed to sign AMA forms, but they are literally trapped like prisoners?

If we're going to treat people like this, maybe we should just put bars on peoples' hospital room doors already. Or maybe we can just throw sick people into prison with the criminals. This is reprehensible.

Would you keep her from jumping off a bridge?

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Would you keep her from jumping off a bridge?

nice try, but not the same at all.

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nice try, but not the same at all.

How is it "not the same at all"?

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