Update on Daniel Hauser

Apparently, Daniel Hauser, the 13 year old boy whose parents denied him modern medical treatment for his cancer, is now doing well after getting the court-ordered chemotherapy.

The tumor has shrunk and young Daniel is on the mend. However, according to Dan Zwakman, a spokesman for the Nemenhah religious group to which the Hausers belong,"Everybody is pleased that the tumor is shrinking, of course. The goal is to get rid of the cancer, but they'd rather be doing it without the chemo."

Apparently, the family believes that the progress Daniel is making towards recovery has come from the vitamins and minerals he's been given to boost his immune system rather than from the conventional treatment he has received. The Hausers' belief system holds that the world was created with everything needed to heal the sick and to sustain the well, that the only remedies one should use are natural ones. Unfortunately, the Nemenhah religious group and others like them are unable to extend this to sciences and things they consider unnatural. It's bizarre that modern medicine would be rejected on these grounds as everything used in modern medicine comes from the very same world.

The Nemenhah religious group is not an actual Native American tribe, but a religious group founded by an ex-convict in 2000. The group is supposedly based off of Native American principles. To become a member one must pay an entry fee of $250 to be "adopted" into the "tribe" and then pay dues of $100 per year afterward. Not only does the religious group insist upon natural medicines, the group's founder sells them to the members.

The parents faced no real consequences for the psychological abuse and medical neglect of their son and they still have custody of the child though his mother tried to flee the country with him to escape the court-ordered medical care. Sadly, young Daniel Hauser will probably grow up convinced that modern medicine is evil and that he was healed by his church instead. But at least it now looks like Daniel Hauser will get to grow up.

Superstition can be hazardous to your health.