By Selwyn Duke

Every so often there is a case in which parents refuse to submit
their child to medical treatment, citing religious beliefs. The most
recent example is the saga of Daniel Hauser, a 13-year-old Minnesota
boy stricken with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After undergoing a round of
chemotherapy that, understandably, made the boy quite sick, the family
ceased the treatments, saying they would pursue alternative therapy in
accordance with an American Indian religion known as “Nemenhah.”

A court order was then issued mandating that Daniel undergo the
treatments, prompting him and his mother, Colleen Hauser, to flee the
state on May 18. Their intention was to seek their alternative medicine
in Mexico. But now mother and son are back in Minnesota, having
surrendered to authorities voluntarily after a week on the run. They
also have agreed to undergo the medical treatments prescribed by their
doctors, despite vowing previously to resist them at all costs.

Read the rest here.

By Selwyn Duke

In a 6-1 ruling yesterday, the California Supreme Court voted to
uphold Proposition 8, which amended the state’s constitution so as to
define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. This concludes
the Golden State court system’s adjudication of the proposition;
however, a federal suit by a group called the American Foundation for
Equal Rights appears to be in the offing.

While the proposition’s supporters hailed the decision, quite predictably, its opponents held protests
that led to arrests. Yet it’s obvious the latter didn’t quite
understand what they were protesting. Sure, they would tell you they
were there to support same-sex marriage, but what they don’t realize is
that they’re protesting against the rule of law and our system of
government as well.

Read the rest here.