The parents vs. physicians trap

The October 13 issue of U.S. News and World Report continues the Baby Miller theme of parents vs. physicians with this report on the conflict between the parents of Parker Jensen and his physicians. Twelve-year-old Parker was diagnosed earlier this year with Ewing's sarcoma, an aggressive cancer. A tumor was removed from his mouth, and four doctors recommended he receive follow-up chemotherapy to reduce the chance of a recurrence. But Parker's parents refused, despite the fact that "With chemo, the survival rate is approximately 70 percent," while without it, "your chance of living is about 20 percent." His parents whisked him from Utah to Idaho, and local prosecutors charged the parents with kidnapping. Despite the return of cancer, the parents are adamantly against chemo for their son ("The state of Utah needs to leave us alone") and a court hearing is schedule for sometime this month.