I was quite dissapointed this morning to hear the Minnesota Public Radio station interview a guy who had kept medical treatments from his son several years ago withoiut asking some of the truly critical questions that would be needed in this kind of situation. In that case, the father claims, doctors claimed that the boy had cancer, but the parents somehow knew that he did not, kept him from treatment, and he was fine. There was no great interest on their part in "alternative treatments" ... just a disbelief that the doctors were competent.
Which may well have been the case ... I have no idea ... but if so, this cannot really be a relevant comparison with what is going on right now in Minnesota.
A felony arrest warrant has been issued for Colleen Hauser of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, and a nationwide manhunt is under way for her and her son, Daniel. This is the case of a young boy (13 years old) who may die of Hodgkin's lymphoma if not treated, will likely live if treated, but whose treatment is being denied by his mother. The treatment method preferred by the medical community involves radiation ad chemotherapy. The method preferred by the Hausers is some sort of made up post-cultural mumbo jumbo thinly disguised as "Native American Healing."
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Upper Midwest, home of the Coen Brothers who really needed very little for inspiration for any of their movies ....
A mother accused of homicide for praying instead of seeking medical help as her 11-year-old daughter died of untreated diabetes decided Thursday to call no witnesses in her defense.
Leilani Neumann's attorney, Gene Linehan, said the decision was reached after prosecutors agreed to tell the jury that to a "casual observer" Madeline Neumann appeared healthy on March 20, 2008, three days before she died at her rural Weston home surrounded by people praying for her....
In all of these cases there is clear apeasment going on. As far as I know, at least for the first 48 hours of the Hauser's disappearance, there was no amber alert. This case in Wisconsin appears to involve the D.A. stipulating what would normally require witnesses who are cross examined (imagine that this was a drug overdose related death and then try to imagine such a stipulation).
I'm all for alternative medicine. As long as you do it on yourself in your own time after first pursuing scientific medical options and mainly use it for stress reduction and to facilitate whatever it is good at facilitating, and avoid zero-return expensive claims or crazy shit like not getting your children vaccinated or any form of chiropractry or homeopathy and several other things. Well, OK, so I'm not all for alternative medicine. I just know a lot of people who I like who are into it to one degree or another and I don't want them to hate me. Too much.
But I digress.
My point here has nothing to do with alternative medicine. It has to do with religious appeasement, which is unjustified, unconstitutional, and unwise.
I wonder if they'll ever find Hauser? ?
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The reason I heard for no amber alert is that nobody knows what kind of car they're in. It seems that the lawyer (kiss that practice goodbye) drove Daniel and Mom to the MD's, hasn't been seen since. Family wheels are still on the farm.
Lots of indications that the lawyer was a prime mover in the disappearance, so a felony charge of (at very least) accessory to kidnapping might be in order.
This case is very troubling to me. I'm of mixed opinion about "alternative treatments" anyway, but I know,or am acquainted with, lots of people in what might be called the "wellness community" who tend to think "alternative is better". I know a woman who treats things like colds and flu with "alternative" over the counter stuff that probably does no harm. She's also supportive of the idea of homeopathic medicine. But I just recently found out she is taking tests for a possible condition that must be treated medically. She has kept this strictly to herself, and will not talk about it. I heard this from an "outside source" she's close to, who shares some, but not all, of her beliefs. And I'm keeping my mouth shut about it,since that is everybody's wish. That aside, I think cases like this are horrible. According to the reports, that was what the kid wanted. I don't blame him. Chemotherapy can make people sick, weak,and nauseous, and it's understandable that they don't want to go through with it. In this case, it's troubling, because only the chemo has been proven to work. And it doesn't look like whatever he's taking now, is having the same effect. I wouldn't want to be in that mother's shoes at all.
Anne G