"Ohio hospital fights for girl’s cancer care" by John Seewer | Associated Press, August 24, 2013
An Ohio hospital is fighting to force a 10-year-old Amish girl with leukemia to resume chemotherapy after her parents stopped the treatments.
Akron Children’s Hospital is appealing a judge’s ruling that blocked a lawyer who is also a registered nurse from taking limited guardianship to make medical decisions.
The hospital believes the girl will die without chemotherapy and is morally and legally obligated to make sure she receives proper care, said Robert McGregor, the hospital’s chief medical officer. ‘‘We really have to advocate for what we believe is in the best interest of the child,’’ he said.
The parents initially allowed chemotherapy in May but stopped treatment in June. The parents said the effects on their daughter were horrible and that they were now relying on natural medicines, The Medina Gazette reported.
The girl told a probate and juvenile judge that she did not want chemotherapy because it made her feel ill, could damage her organs, and make her infertile, the newspaper said.
Medina County Probate and Juvenile Judge John Lohn said he could only transfer guardianship if the parents were found unfit.
‘‘The court cannot deprive these parents of their right to make medical decisions for their daughter, because there is not a scintilla of evidence showing the parents are unfit,’’ Lohn wrote in a ruling.
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