State intervention

The other day I read about a local young boy who succumbed to mouth cancer. His parents did not send him to a hospital until it was too late. That was also because his case was highlighted in May this year, and the parents were persuaded to send him to hospital by the high ranking government official. His parents did not send him to hospital but have been sending him to various bomohs (Malay faith healers).

The doctor who saw him when he was finally warded said he would stand a better chance of survival if he were to come in earlier for allopathy treatment. The newspaper article has a photo of this boy (around 17 years old) being helped to the hospital by his mom and a medical staff...it was a sad sight; he was skin and bones and his mouth is full of dark ugly sores.

After the boy died, the parents said they did what they thought was best for their child.

Earlier, I read in CNN about a case in the US where a US State authority took a child away from her parents. The girl has cancer and the parents refused to let her undergo radiotherapy. The child underwent earlier surgery and the parents thought she is in remission, and thus do not want to follow her doctors' advise.

When a later test show the cancer is returning, the State authority took custody of the child and will be sending her for treatment. Her parents are not allowed to see their child now. The parents do not seem to object because they realise the cancer is not in remission. I think the parents were worried about the effects of radiotherapy hence their earlier objection.

But do you think the action of the State is heavy handed but justified? Compare that with fate of the local child who died because the parents didn't know better?