Society/Culture Forcing a Minor to Undergo Chemo Against Their Will

[Pie eyed]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/201...-force-a-teenage-girl-to-undergo-chemotherapy

Brings up a number of questions:
1) Can the state tell a minor what they can do with their body?
2) Should the state step in to prevent an ill-informed decision an adult makes for their child?
3) Why aren't people who do not believe in scientifically proven treatment of an illness treated with the same derision as climate-change deniers?

The Libertarian in me says to let her skip treatment and die. The humanitarian says she needs to be taken from her ignorant mother and offered a better life.

1. Yes. We do constantly already. When they can have sex, what drugs you can take, when you can drink alcohol etc etc.
2. In some case yes. In this particular case, if in fact it is the child's wish, not the parents or for some dubious religious reasoning, I don't think so.
Any adult would have the right to refuse treatment even for some dubious religious reason.
In a nutshell, if it the child's wish, not some religious idiocy, and the parents accept her wishes considering all the facts then she should have the right to refuse. If there is even a hint the a minor is being coerced by the parents for any reason then the state is doing the right thing. In this case the girl will have the right to refuse treatment in a few years anyway. At worst treatment will keep her alive long enough to bitch about not being allowed to die.
3. I am not sure they are not. Visited the Anti-Vacc thread?

 

[Pie eyed]

I get the whole idea of fightin' the man, I was like that for years, but after a while you just sound like a flog.

Sooner or later you actually live long enough to be "the man".
Then, no longer able to blame the man, you simply "yell at the clouds" ala Simpsons.