Parents Appeal Court-Appointed Guardian For Amish Girl With Leukemia

A Medina County Amish couple who fled with their 11-year-old leukemia-stricken daughter so she would not be forced to get chemotherapy is appealing a county court order to appoint a guardian to make medical decisions for her. Attorneys for the family of Sarah Hershberger say the wording of Ohio's guardianship statutes appears to let courts substitute their judgment for that of the parents, and the appeals court should limit such second-guessing by the state. A county judge has yet to rule on a request to resign by the guardian who wants to stop trying to force the child to resume chemotherapy. The family has fought Akron Children's Hospital for several months.