17-year-old cancer patient can't refuse chemotherapy, Connecticut Supreme Court rules
The Connecticut Supreme Court has held that state officials are not violating the rights of a 17-year-old with Hodgkin lymphoma by forcing her to undergo chemotherapy treatment against her will.
The court, in a unanimous ruling Thursday, said the girl’s lawyers had failed to prove she was mature enough to make her own medical decisions, the Associated Press, Fox News and NPR report.
The girl—identified in court papers as “Cassandra C.”—was diagnosed in September. She was removed from her home and placed in the custody of child welfare officials after she refused to undergo chemotherapy.
State officials had argued that the girl lacked the maturity to make medical decisions and does not understand the severity of her illness. Her doctors have testified that the she has an 85 percent survival rate if she undergoes a six-month regimen of chemotherapy.
The girl, who has the support of her mother, Jackie Fortin, believes the chemotherapy will do more damage to her body than the cancer will. Fortin, who says her daughter should have the right to refuse treatment, said she was disappointed by the decision. “[Cassandra] knows I love her, and I’m going to keep fighting for her because this is her decision,” she told NPR.
