With one quick Google search of the words teen, cancer, treatment and Mexico, I got over two million hits to this story. I'm sure everyone by now is aware of the homeschooling family whose son has cancer and wants to forego chemotherapy in favor of an alternative treatment in Mexico. The state has suggested that perhaps the family is being neglectful of the child because the family supports his decision to ignore what is currently accepted in the US as the best treatment.
I won't argue any of those points as I personally haven't quite formed an opinion yet. What I will argue is that homeschool blogs are want to go off half cocked whenever they perceive their parental rights being taken from them, and I will further argue that the fight for this one child's possible rights is being undertaken in the most selfish of manners.
Homeschoolers, for some reason, seem more than willing to freak out over any perceived slight or injustice. This does us no good at all, and many of us could often stand to just shut the hell up until we actually know what we're talking about. The current issue is a perfect example. Amid all the hand wringing, those homeschoolers who are so sure that the state is going to swoop in and take their children away, not one of these bloggers has suggested that they have any idea what this treatment is or what it entails. Regardless of this lack of key knowledge, the blogs pile up supporting this child and his parents.
The selfishness arises when I realize that these people don't seem to care one bit about cancer sufferers. Yes, they scream, let this child and his family go to Mexico and get rid of his cancer. We all know that Mexican medicine is at the very height of all medicine in the world. I'm sure that they are light years ahead of the US in medical technology and research. That's why so many people are going to Mexico to have their medical needs attended to. So, if this treatment is so valid, why are we only arguing about one insignificant child? Why are we not angry that our government and doctors are hiding this treatment? Why don't we care just as much for all the other people with cancer that may not know that there is a magical cancer treatment in Mexico? Why, if this treatment is valid, aren't we angry that our government should keep it from us?
Would any of us care at all about this child if he were not homeschooled? Would this story have risen to cause du jour if he attended public schools? I'm sure some of us would have jumped on the story as it has those lovely parental rights highlights that are perfect for us to rant about. Would we damn the family if they had chosen to use therapies involving the cannabis plant?
The cannabis plant, more commonly known as marijuana, has been proven able to halt tumor growth as well as to shrink tumors. It is also useful to counteract many of the negative side effects of chemotherapy. Beyond these uses, there are myriad other proven uses for marijuana in a number of treatments for a number of illnesses. It is an alternative medicine, yet apparently when some people's god gave them the plants, he didn't mean marijuana. That one is reserved for us sinners.
Instead of fussing about this one child, why don't you all confront the bigger problem? It isn't that the state might take your kids away if you don't use the best possible therapy for helping your child get well. The big problem is that so many of you have no knowledge of what's really happening, and you are content to stay this way. You only have time for one cause du jour at a time, and it better fit into you world view.
