Acts of Faith

The issue of Faith v.s. Science is a perennial cringe-topic in almost every forum, but it gets the nervous looks flying fastest when it is raised with relation to medical care. People just don't want to talk about it. Mary Rogan, however, fears not the sensitive issues.
Her article tells the story of the Dueck family of Martensville, Saskatchewan. 13 year-old Tyrell Dueck and his parents, Tim and Yvonne, were referred to the Cancer Centre at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon by their family docor, who felt that Tyrell may have cancer. Upon receiving the news, rather than do what any normal parents would do - rush their child into hospital for an immediate diagnoses - Tim and Yvonne spent weeks researching alternative treatments, without even knowing for sure whether or not Tyrell had cancer. It was not until the Cancer Centre at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon called and asked them to bring their son in that they did so.
Tyrell Duecks was then diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, a fatal and fast growing form of bone cancer.
After this diagnoses, things went downhill. His parents refused to let him have chemotherapy, partly because of chemotherapy's side-effects and the required amputation, and partly because of their religion. This resulted in a court case that gave the Provincial government guardianship over Tyrell, solely for the purpose of medical consent. Tyrell then spoke up, saying that he didn't want the treatment - more court cases, media coverage, and inaction with regards to Tyrell's medical condition ensued.
By the time it was all over, the doctors said that Tyrell's cancer had spread. His parents were now free to do what they wanted. They chose American Biologics, an alternative care facility in Tijuana, Mexico, that provides treatment that is illegal in the US and Canada.
Upon Tyrell's return to Canada the following year, his parents made it public that his condition had improved. He subsequently died on June 30th, 1999, at the age of 13.
In my opinion, if somebody refuses medical treatment for themselves, that's there choice. However, if they refuse medical treatment for minors in their custody, that is unaccetpable. This article, along with other cases, gives substantial evidence against the effectiveness of alternative treatments, and anyone who refuses a child the proven medical treatments available to them, for whatever reason, does not deserve to have custody of that child. End of story.