Hello, Judge Jesse E. Demps!

It was with deep outrage and near tears that I read the recent developments in the case of Abraham Cherrix, the 16-year-old Virginia teen who chose to forgo a second round of chemotherapy to treat his lymph node cancer. The teen was ordered to forcibly undergo chemotherapy. This ruling demonstrates the lack of intellect of Judge Jesse E. Demps. It also demonstrates a lesser known, but still equally true sentiment-you apparently have no rights in the South. I doubt I will ever venture south of the Mason-Dixon line after hearing this story. This sort of thing would have never happened in New Jersey, yet now I fear it likely will, given the precedent this case will now set.

Chemotherapy has no guarantee of providing a favorable outcome for cancer patients. The basic premise behind how it works is this-kill the patient's cancer with chemo before the chemo kills the patient. Abraham already subjected himself to one round of treatment and was dissatisfied with the horrific side effects and end result, so he clearly has first-hand experience with the lack of benefits of such a treatment for himself.

The very fact that Abraham firmly believes chemotherapy will not help his prognosis will actually impact the success of his treatment. It's called the placebo effect, Judge Demps. Read a book for once. The placebo effect has been well documented in recent years and its' impact so persuasive that pharmaceutical companies were very resistant to performing placebo-controlled studies because the studies revealed the truth about many of the toxins they actively market directly to consumers-that many of these medications and treatments are actually unneeded and harmful.

The fact that his parents were found neglectful for allowing their son to follow an organic diet free of sugar along with herbal supplementation further inflames the injustice and lack of compassion and humanity evident in this case. Sugar suppresses the immune system. Cancer patients, or anyone suffering from a suppressed immune system, would be wise to forgo sugar in an effort to improve immune function. I thought that was common knowledge, or at least it is among the proactive, health-conscious social circles I frequent: a community that includes people who are actually concerned with what they ingest, people who are unwilling to overburden the healthcare system by seeking treatment for preventable illnesses, people who willingly take responsibility for the resulting health outcomes of their poor lifestyle choices. What a novel concept.

With improved immune function, Abraham's cancer can resolve. Further suppressing the immune system by exposing himself to the toxins doctors conveniently call chemo is really no guaranteed solution. It might be the preferred treatment and standard medical protocol from a doctor's standpoint but that is because physicians have to recommend conventional treatment, when available, or risk lawsuits. A patient can accept or refuse any treatment they desire, or so I naively thought until now. Judge Demps ordered treatment; I sure hope he plans to pay for it too.

It is somehow even more ironic that a 16-year-old female, without parental consent, can walk into any abortion facility (except in South Dakota, I guess) and end a pregnancy, potentially increasing her lifelong risk of breast cancer. Yet, a 16-year-old male faced with the misfortune of a cancer diagnosis cannot forgo a costly and toxic treatment that he already agreeably endured once before and decided was not the best option for him. Sounds like a clear case of sex discrimination to me.

Another irony is that Abraham's parents were deemed neglectful for supporting their son's wishes concerning cancer treatment, yet parents nationwide can intentionally force their newborns to consume infant formula, a product that clearly has been shown to increase cancer, diabetes, and gastrointestinal problems. Why isn't Child Services dragging the formula feeders in to court? Why target Cherrix' parents? I guess misguided social service workers never heard of the negative effects of the helicopter-parent phenomenon. Not all parents are self-righteous enough to believe they know what is best for their practically-adult child. The Cherrix' are confident they raised their son to make fully informed, autonomous decisions. At the age of 16, it is about time to cut the apron strings. Perhaps, there was a mix-up. Maybe Judge Demps mistakenly thought Abraham Cherrix was 6, not 16.

I am incredibly hopeful that, on appeal, this decision will be reversed. The lack of logic and compassion employed in this case is mind-boggling at best and cruel and inhumane at worst. I mourn for Abraham Cherrix and the discomfort he will have to endure. I mourn for America and the rights its' citizens have now lost.