Court sides with Akron hospital on Amish girl care

8/28/2013

An appeals court in Ohio has sided with a hospital that’s seeking to force a 10-year-old Amish girl to resume chemotherapy after her parents decided to stop the treatments.

The decision issued Tuesday sends the case back to a county judge and says he must give more consideration to the request by Akron Children’s Hospital. The judge had ruled in July that the parents had the right to make medical decisions for their daughter.

The hospital wants a registered nurse to take over limited guardianship and make medical decisions for the girl. The hospital says the girl will die without chemotherapy.

The girl’s parents say that the chemotherapy’s effects were terrible and that they’re now using “natural” medicines, such as herbs and vitamins, and consulting with another doctor.