Court orders chemo after parents refuse treatment

Court orders chemo after parents refuse treatment

A Perth court has ordered a six-year-old boy undergo chemotherapy for brain cancer after his parents refused treatment.

The boy's parents say they're being stripped of their right to do what's best for their son.

Oshin is caught in the middle of a life and death battle. He has an aggressive form of brain cancer and the state says he needs chemotherapy.

But his parents have refused to give consent for his treatment.

"They are very knowing parents and they made a decision, an informed decision, that there are better options available elsewhere," says family friend Lydia Jones.

"[There are] specialised medical options elsewhere."

Oshin's parents say they've seen the side-effects, describing a toxic hell for children already on the verge of death.

Palliative care is their preference.

But doctors and authorities disagree. They've won court orders banning the family from travelling overseas to seek alternative treatment and are forcing Oshin's parents to take him for chemotherapy. 

The court found on the evidence presented, beyond all doubt Oshin will die within a few months if measures are not taken to prevent his death.

The court also found he has a 30 percent chance of survival for five years if he has chemotherapy, and a 50 percent chance if he has both chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as prescribed by Prince Margaret Hospital.

"If he survives he will have hearing aids, he will have cataracts in his eyes, his spine won't develop correctly [and] he will never have an IQ over 70," Ms Jones says.

Late today, Oshin's parents said they would appeal the court's decision.

Newshub.