Boy flees Mexico to avoid chemo due in part to religious beliefs.

[Tiberius]

Please try not make bad analogies, they are beyond useless. In fact, you can get wires crossed in your reasoning with them.

It was only bad as in the situation here is much more serious. The same rational applies though.

Science (as i stated long ago) is a process. A type of methodical thought. It is nothing more or less than that.

Precisely why I said you should forget it when you cross the road, seeing as you seem to have given up on science telling us how to look after ourselves.

I don't dislike the scientific method, but am at odds with many of it's practitioners faulty conclusions.

Then you do dislike the scientific method. Only a fool is at odds with the conclusions of scientists. Conclusions may be wrong, but they get corrected as time goes on. If science concludes something, it means that there is a vast amount of evidence that is explained by the theory. The theory may not be perfect, but it is the best shot at the time of writing. If you are at odds with the scientists over this, then you are foolish.

I am not saying you are directly advocating hurting children, and I hope not to anger you by seeming such. I only mean that your wish or intent is to help this child, but you are acting very much against what I see as his best interests in doing so.

What you see as his best interests is irrelevant. What science says are his best interests is how people should look at this situation. You are just proving once again that you do dislike the scientific method...at least when it disagrees with your views on chemotherapy.

You are not evil on purpose by your stance, just a little turned around. You are not in a position to tell any of us the chemo is the "only treatment that will save him".

No, but science says it is the best. Q.E.D.

I am sorry to disturb you as well. I would only deny 'life-saving' treatment to anyone if he made a clear and concise wish not to be treated. It is more cold hearted in my book to force people to do things they don't want too. That, along side untruth is the root of all evil. He may be wrong in choosing homeopathy, but it's his choice. That is freedom, I thought we were s'posed to be all about the jive. Again, don't please be too offended. I don't mean to be mean. Just honest.

You seem to be forgetting that this is a child we are dealing with. We don't let children have the vote because of a reason: they aren't mature enough to make rational decisions for the country. They are susceptible to being led astray, much more so than adults. The issue isn't about allowing people to give up treatment (I'm pro-euthanasia btw), but about stopping a brainwashed child from dying because of his parents. He is not to blame, he does not know any better. A child needs to be cared for, and when the parents make decisions that danger his life, we call it child abuse. There is no difference here.

How about a good analogy? You are a child, and unfortunately have a cancer. You would like to do chemo, but everyone around you thinks it is the stupidest thing possible. Your doctors and health insurance providers and government and media all say loudly that naturalism is the only option. "Everyone knows that homeopathy is the only thing that cures cancer, and chemotherapy is all just poppycock,". Even if it seemed you were the only one who thought what you did, don't you have the right to it? That might be a decent way for someone in you shoes to try to understand how this child may feel. Although, to be fair he is a teen now. So that soon Padraic has to stop caring about him.

The one problem with this analogy is that it just doesn't reflect reality. The decisions made by the doctors are based on sound science, not pseudo-science. Reversing the roles simply doesn't work in this case. It was a very bad analogy. If we are in bizarro world where chemo doesn't work and natural remedies do, then this situation would be one where I am on the side of the doctors still. What other reason do we have for doctors other than to keep us healthy?