First Nations girl chooses traditional medicine over chemo

I'm all about people having choices, and persuing tradtional ways. And I'm also all about people deleting themselves from the Gene pool when appropriate. But why do you have to do it using this litle girl?

We can always have hope in the efficacy of placebos.

And if something happens to the little girl, the Ontario Government will get sued by the family for not protecting her.

I'm mystified as to why this family is being persecuted by a leftish government and media given the push of recent years by the same folks to prod people into making exactly these same kinds of end-of-life choices about health care.

Isn't this exactly what you folks advocate in so many other topics?

Are there no DEATH PANELS?

Is there no EUTHANASIA COMMISAR?

Where is my hard-earned tax money going to, anyway?

That would be my only concern, this family can't get both sides.

Make them sign a waiver, no lawsuits. Children's aid can close the file.

Not quite. She's 10, not 75. Secondly, the thin veil hiding the threat of violence can't really be ignored if the government steps in to intercede on this child's behalf.

Nice try though.

And killing them. Don't forget killing them.

Yes, the same thought occurred to me right away.

Or, if she is not cured by traditional medicine, they will say that it was actually the chemo that did the most harm to her and go after the doctors/hospital for it.


The threat by the community she lives in should be taken very seriously as if the Children's Aid decides to apprehend her it could get very nasty.

Not quite. She's 10, not 75. Secondly, the thin veil hiding the threat of violence can't really be ignored if the government steps in to intercede on this child's behalf.

Nice try though.

Believe it or not I was not being sarcastic or anything. See, just back in February we'd had a discussion on this very topic in these pages about the Belgian right-to-die law for children. In that topic I was denounced as a Neanderthal for taking the pro-life position. I can't find our topic on it but here's the story that was being debated:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/13/world/eur ... -children/

This is absolutely ridiculous. Where is it written that medical attention HAS to be in the form of western medicine?

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of much of it, and if alternative treatments (especially traditional ones) are available, I quite often tend to pursue those instead. Western medicine tends to be a "band aid" fix in far too many cases. Many traditional treatments are exactly that - treatments. Not masks. It makes no difference if the remedy is derived from the Chinese, Japanese, Philippine or First Nations.

She tried it. It didn't work. Let her try something that isn't going to kill her faster than the cancer will. It should absolutely be up to the parents now to choose which treatment their child undergoes. Cancer is horrible enough to battle. If this little one can undergo a treatment with less side effects and decent odds of recovery/survival, then why on earth would that be interfered with?

What happened to "First do no harm"?

Because the alternative is a system of medicine that relies on:

1. Curing through dumb luck and
2. When 1. occurs no one bothers to figure out why it worked. The medicine man just claims victory and reverence

I can safely say that traditional first nation medical practitioners couldn't spell acute lymphoblastic leukemia let alone have a clue how to cure it. Yeah chemo is a nasty treatment, but then again leukemia isn't something you fuck around with kid gloves.

Not quite. She's 10, not 75. Secondly, the thin veil hiding the threat of violence can't really be ignored if the government steps in to intercede on this child's behalf.

Nice try though.

Believe it or not I was not being sarcastic or anything. See, just back in February we'd had a discussion on this very topic in these pages about the Belgian right-to-die law for children. In that topic I was denounced as a Neanderthal for taking the pro-life position. I can't find our topic on it but here's the story that was being debated:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/13/world/eur ... -children/

I recall the conversation, Bart, but this is clearly apples and oranges and you should know it. A read through your link laid out some if the criteria including a psychological assessment to ensure the child understands the implications if the decision. As well, it's buy in from the parents.

Since we are not talking about euthanasia here but turning down western medicine for spiritual healing and herbs, your point becomes even more irrelevant. The girl is not choosing to end her life, she us choosing a path of treatment that will end her life under the delusion it will save it.

I correct myself. Apples and hammers actually....

Yes First Nations has always been at the forefront of medicine. Idiots.....