[Morrigoon]

Slippery slope.

Yes, in this individual case, the world feels like the parents are making the wrong decision and that the patient is not competent to make his own medical decisions.

But where does it end? These same busybodies could easily turn around and say that pregnant women should be jailed in maternity wards for the entire term of their pregnancy and fed state-mandated regiment of healthy foods and vitamins to ensure that they don't medically harm their babies at any stage of the pregnancy. I know that sounds extreme, but it's really a slippery slope once you have the government and doctors being allowed to override the wishes of both patient and parents.

Whatever happened to the right of privacy? Of control over your own body? This boy committed no felony, he has harmed no one. Under what circumstances do we say it is okay to forcibly make him endure a treatment that is universally accepted as being horrible to go through? Whatever happened to DNR requests? Isn't refusing treatment the same thing?

If either the boy or his parents did consent to this treatment, my position might be different, but neither does. The government needs to mind its own damn business at that point, regardless of the result. A result, mind you, selected by both the boy AND his guardians.

If a 16-year old can be tried as an adult for committing murder, why can't he decide what he wants to do with his own body? So what if we don't like the choice he makes... it's HIS choice to make and it affects nobody but himself.