Case Study Abraham Cherrix

Abraham Cherrix is a 16 year old boy who is fighting Hodgkin’s Disease. The doctors told Abraham that his best bet of fighting off this disease is chemotherapy. His first round of chemo left him very weak and unable to complete simple daily tasks. His doctors recommend a second round of chemo to keep fighting off this dreadful disease, but Abraham refuses. Abraham’s parents fully support their son in his choice of treatment. He is treating his cancer with an herbal remedy and follows an organic diet, known as the Hoxsey Method. The Cherrix family now faces court and medical neglect charges. Due to this, the Accomack County social services has shared custody of the boy. The agency requests that Abraham go through the second round of chemo. This is a fight between the quality or length of Abraham’s life. Abraham is a teenager, making him capable of taking care of his own body. He is a minor according to the law, so the decision to continue chemo essentially lies within his parents. Undoubtedly, Abraham’s parents want the best for their son. Of course they want him to live a long life, but they also want him to live a comfortable and pain-free life. This should not …show more content…
The policy should state: minors who are fighting any type of cancer should be allowed to choose whether to continue or stop treatment at any point. Minors are under 18 years old, but this does not mean they should undergo pain and suffering to prolong their life, when all they want is a quality life while they are still living. Minors are young, but they are the ones going through the pain, so they should not let anyone else inflict harm on them if they want to put an end to it. Autonomy is the power of the person to make their own decisions. Forcing treatment breaks the ethical principle of autonomy. Autonomy supports my policy to let the patient choose their treatment plan, not their parents or the