A 17-year-old girl who was forced to undergo chemotherapy by the state of Connecticut is going home on Monday. The teen known as Cassandra C has been held at a local children's hospital since December.
Cassandra C is returning home to her mother, five months after a court order gave temporary custody of the girl to the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. DCF sought custody after medical professionals reported Cassandra's mother for neglect when she argued with doctors and missed appointments to treat her daughter's Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The teen agreed with her mother wanting to refuse treatment.
Cassandra C's case went before the state Supreme Court. Her attorney said the teen should be able to make her own medical decisions just months before turning 18 years old. The justices disagreed, saying the state was not violating her rights by forcing her to undergo chemotherapy for a highly curable cancer. The teenager is now in remission.
In a statement, DCF said it's "delighted Cassandra will go home with complete confidence that she is healthy and has recovered as the result of the amazing work of the medical professionals at Connecticut Children's Medical Center and the dedicated staff at the Department of Children and Families."
