“Should the government intervene to save the life of a 16-year-old boy, even if it means forcing him into medical care against his and his parents’ wishes? This is the question at stake in the case of Starchild Abraham Cherrix, a teenage boy who has Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer of the lymph nodes that is highly treatable if diagnosed early. After completing chemotherapy, Abraham learned earlier this year that the cancer had returned. The boy decided to forgo further chemotherapy (the first round had left him severely nauseated and so weak that he could barely walk at times) and instead to pursue an ‘alternative’ treatment known as the Hoxsey method — a sugar-free, organic diet and herbal supplements under the supervision of a clinic in Mexico. His parents, Jay and Rose Cherrix, approved of his decision.” [editor’s note: The allopathic cure did not work; doing it over again may or may not; the “alternative” method isn’t “FDA approved,” but has had some anecdotal success. Given those options, what would you choose to do? - SAT] (07/31/06)