Press on the pictures of the children here who have died from lack of medical care for their stories. What a heartbreaker.
[www.childrenshealthcare.org]

I know a New Agey couple who is full of medical conspiracy theories, and refuses to vaccinate their kids, etc.
One kid just got chickenpox due to not being vaccinated.

These type of parents are so arrogant, and brainwashed, and just lack common sense.
What these types of parents are doing to their children is medical neglect and abuse.

What the heck is wrong with people?
Is it lack of education?
Fanatical beliefs?
Lack of critical thinking ability?
Mental illness?

And the innocent children will suffer for their parents ignorance and arrogance.

Coz

This is common, Coz, with many New Agey type of groups, as well as various Christian extremists.

Chicken pox is minor compared to other stories along these lines.

Why do people do it? In my family it has been justified by the power of the mind, spirit to heal, that natural healing is the ONLY way to go. blah blah blah The evils and side effects of various mainstream therapies are emphasized. The decisions are made on an emotional idealistic basis, not on a rationale basis of evaluating risk:reward ratio of various therapies.

Natural therapies are wonderful, and great for maintaining an already healthy organism. There are conditions, however, for which we are fortuante to have modern medicine.

Seeing (too much) of what you describe is why I entered the medical field.

sigh

toni

I can understand not getting the chicken pox vaccine as that is a relatively minor illness when contracted by an otherwise healthy child, and the vaccine is known to wear off after approximately ten years - making teens vulnerable to the disease at a time when it is much more likely to have potentially fatal complications.

The stories that I have read about Christian Scientists & children that really disturb me... are the ones where parents refuses to allow children's broken bones to be set, severe cuts to be stitched, etc. The amount of needless suffering of children who need only minor intervention horrifies me.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- Child welfare officials seized a 12-year-old cancer patient from her parents, saying they were blocking radiation treatment that doctors say she needs.

During a court hearing Wednesday, Michele and Edward Wernecke asked that doctors be barred from giving radiation therapy to their daughter Katie until a hearing next week to determine whether she will stay in state custody.

They say their daughter's cancer is in remission and they object to her getting the radiation treatment after undergoing a round of chemotherapy. Katie has Hodgkin's disease, a type of cancer involving the lymph nodes.

Juvenile court Judge Carl Lewis said he would rule on the request Friday.

Last week, authorities issued an Amber Alert to gain temporary custody of Katie after receiving an anonymous tip about possible neglect. She was found with her mother at a family ranch, about 80 miles west of Corpus Christi near Freer, on Saturday.

She remains at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where she is undergoing tests, officials said. State Child Protective Services says her life could be in danger without further cancer treatment.

Michele Wernecke was arrested on charges of interfering with child custody and was released Monday after posting $50,000 bond.

The Werneckes' three sons were placed in a foster home.

Speaking Thursday on NBC's "Today" show, Michele Wernecke said her daughter's illness is unique and should be treated as such.

"I think they should treat her for what her body calls for and not standard protocol. Nobody will look at that," she said. "Not every cancer is the same. Nobody understands that. Her body is not standard, and her cancer is not standard."

The couple, members of the Church of God, have said they oppose blood transfusions unless they were from Katie's mother. But the couple's attorney, Daniel Horne, said religion wasn't at issue in the fight over cancer treatment.

Rather, they believe doctors haven't been upfront about Katie's care and have not answered all their questions about the side effects of the radiation.

"This issue is about parental rights, not about religious rights," Horne said. "They just want to be informed of her treatment. They want to be involved in this."

Katie was diagnosed with cancer in January. In a videotaped statement recorded by her parents, Katie said she's feeling better.

"I don't need radiation treatment. And nobody asked me what I wanted. It's my body," she said.

Officials on Wednesday reached an agreement to let Edward Wernecke and the couple's sons visit Katie on Friday, the day before her 13th birthday.

UPDATE: The parents agreed to allow radiation treatment when it was shown that her cancer was not in remission as previously thought. The other children were returned to the parents custody almost immediately. The story seems to have dropped from the news but I would assume that (hopefully) the girl has been allowed to return to her parents as she continues to battle cancer. The case looks more like a giant misunderstanding than one of intentional neglect. Prior to DCHS involvement, the girl had recieved chemotherapy treatment for her cancer and the cancer was said to be in remission. I don't think religiously-based withholding of medical treatment was an issue in this case.

yourmaster
Junior Member


Joined: 20 Oct 2004
Posts: 23

Posted: 06-20-2005 08:04 PM Post subject:

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My parents were CS when I developed spinal menengites when I was 18 months old. That was 54 years ago. They didn't take me to the doctor. My fever reached 106 degrees.

Finally, my uncle scooped me up and took me to the hospital. The doctors said that I was too far gone and would die before the day was over. I managed to live. Then they said I would be a cripple for the rest of my life when they released me to my mother to take me home. The next day I was doing somersaults in the backyard. I was lucky. Think of the others who suffered harm due to the ignorance of a dumb religion.

So beware of Christian 'Science" or any other stupid religion, like Hare Krishna, that uses the term 'science' in their books. There is no science there at all. They use the word 'science' to make their teachings look good to suggestive potential followers, and to present followers who are brainwashed more and more as time goes by.

Love,

YOURMASTER