Is a mother who withholds medicine guilty of attempted murder?

1. 60

   MysteryPlanetposted 13 years ago

   Is a mother who withholds medicine guilty of attempted murder?
   
   "The mother of an autistic boy with cancer was found guilty on Tuesday of attempted murder for withholding chemotherapy drugs that potentially could have saved his life." What do you think?

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2. 63

   MPChrisposted 13 years ago

   With the information available, yes. If the boy wanted the medicine, then yes.

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3. 60

   Matt in Jaxposted 13 years ago

   I agree with MPChris. Especially if the child wanted them.

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4. 67

   onegoodwomanposted 13 years ago

   No, deciding against meds that could " potentially could have saved his life", does not equate to "murder".
   
   Was she neglectful?
   Was she somehow mentally warped?
   Was she in some manner, what many of us might call an extremist?
   Could she even AFFORD the meds?  Was there an insurance policy?  Would the policy pay for these meds?
   
   We need to address the real issues here.........not make a judgement based on a 1-3 sentenace article headline.
   
   I do not know these things.
   
   
   Most medicines have side effects, many of them are potentially dangerous.
   
   There is NO cure for cancer..... and he was autistic as well.................just perhaps, she thought she was sparing him some discomfort or pain in the future.
   
   I simply do not know the answers to these questions.
   
   What I DO know, parenthood is full of hard decisions......making the wrong one is not the same as cutting the child's throat or choking the breath from him.
   
   The 'wrong' answer is not intended abuse.  Abuse is abuse.
   
   You can tell me how to make parental decisions, when YOU parent and care for my kids.

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5. 72

   someonewhoknowsposted 13 years ago

   Can we find the E.P.A. F.D.A. C.I.A. F.B.I. I.R.S.or anyone who has authority in  government Guilty of attempted murder as a direct result of  what they do or do not do in their official capacity? Probably not because they will find a way to dismiss the accusation or find a scapgoat somehow even if, it happens to be true!
   
   I think it depends on the circumstances.I've heard that chemo therapy can kill as well.So,the way the medical industry see's it,if the child doesn't get better and dies they can simply deny responasbilty if the chemo-therapy killed him.

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6. 0

   wilbury4posted 13 years ago

   I think this case falls under "Liability of Omissions" (UK), a crime that is committed by failure to act. I don't recall this case, but I imagine that it wasn't straight forward.
   My own thoughts would be, "did the mother act in the best interests of her suffering son, or to benefit herself?"
   The only benefit I can see to her would be that she would have ridden herself of the duty of looking after her son; this being her only benefit, could she not have placed her son in a nursing home?
   If she had acted to ease her sons suffering, I can actually understand that, is withholding his drugs in this case neglectful?
   Interesting, but who am I to Judge?

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