Micaela Flowers

Module 4
Section A
4/29/14
Chronic Diseases
Billy Best was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease in the summer of 1993. Best had been
going through a 5 month treatment with chemotheray and radiation when he decided he did not
want to go through with the final four months desite the !"# chance of cure. $Hodgkins
disease is a tye of lymhoma. %ymhoma is a cancer of a art of the immune system called the
lymh system... &he e'act cause is unknown( )*edline+lus, -"1./. 0n1ironment2 lifestyle is
thought to be more resonsible for the de1eloment of the disease because there ha1e been cases
with twins where only one de1eloed it and the other did not )&e'as 3ncology, -"1./. 4n this
situation Bests arents ha1e gi1en consent for him to be treated so the issue is how to go about
$forcing( him to undergo the treatment being a minor.
4 think that the decision in this case to not take it to the court and instead talk through the
situation with the minor was the right thing to do. 5ince Bests arents were in comliance with
gi1ing him treatment and that it was Best himself refusing, as ointed out in the article, there is
not really anything to ask from the court e'cet the ability to $tie him down.( &his, howe1er, did
not gi1e full rights to the minor to make any fast2 uneducated decisions with his treatment or
ending of. 4n this situation 4 think that the minor should be able to make the decision about
treatment after he has been fully informed of e1ery otion, e1ery ossible outcome, and the
imortance of his decision either way.
&he olicy regarding cancer treatment for minors should ultimately lie with a minor if
they are fully informed of e1ery otion and their chance of cure. 6lso the minors who can
resonsibly make this decision should be in the latter ages of being a minor )1.718/. 31erall, 4
think that autonomy lays the largest role in this olicy because the indi1idual recei1ing
treatment should be the one who decides how it is gi1en or not gi1en. 9or e'amle, if a 18 year
Micaela Flowers
Module 4
Section A
4/29/14
old has battled a tye of cancer for a 1ery long time and the radiation and chemotheray make
them e'tremely sick or weak, and the otion between continuing that for a ossible cure seems
or ending it to send the end of their life in not :uite as much ain, he or she should be allowed2
caable to make the decision.
;eferences
Micaela Flowers
Module 4
Section A
4/29/14
<Hodgkin Disease= *edline+lus.< >.5 ?ational %ibrary of *edicine. >.5. ?ational %ibrary of
*edicine, -9 *ar. -"1.. @eb. -! 6r. -"1..
<HodgkinAs Disease ;isk 9actors.< 7 HodgkinAs Disease. ?.., n.d. @eb. -9 6r. -"1..
<HodgkinAs %ymhoma 5creening2+re1ention.< HodgkinAs %ymhoma 5creening2+re1ention.
?.., -"1.. @eb. -! 6r. -"1..