May 2003

A mother's story

by Dr. Madeline Behrendt

What follows will disturb you. It is a not a reason for fear, inaction or caution, but rather for clarity and purpose. What follows will inspire you. Please pause for a few moments to share one Idaho mom's experience. One remarkable mom determined to make a difference for many.

On the advice of her naturopath, Corissa Mueller brought her beautiful five-week old daughter Taige to the emergency room very late one night due to concerns about a sustained temperature. Doctors indicated there was a five percent risk the infant had meningitis and wanted to perform a spinal tap, as well as administer antibiotics.

Mom realized that five percent risk indicates 95% non‑risk, and as it was likely her daughter did not have meningitis, before consenting she wanted a fuller consideration of the risks and necessity of these interventions. While weighing this information, her child's temperature improved and Corissa proceeded to contact her primary doctor, the naturopath (Idaho does not grant this profession a license) for a second opinion. In the best interest of her child, Corissa did not consent to the spinal tap or antibiotics, but did consent to additional testing including UA, blood work, and x‑rays.

Moving swiftly, Child Protection Services subsequently removed the infant from her mother's custody. All of the declined medical treatments were applied to the child, as well as steroids (which had not even been discussed), while Corissa was physically detained by two police officers, and not even allowed to make a phone call. Re‑establishing legal custody requires a court judgement, and the case was scheduled for a hearing in two days. Meanwhile, results of the medical tests revealed the child did not have meningitis.

This clearly was not an issue of child abuse, this is a separate discussion, and laws concerning abuse were never intended to settle medical disputes. The essence of this incident regards an issue central to the welfare of our children: Who gets to decide which risk to take (either of illness or procedures)? A stranger, whatever his or her authority, or a parent who knows them, cares for them and will live with the effects of any medical intervention for the rest of their lives?

In March 2003, The Chiropractic Journal reported on a study in the medical journal Pediatrics which revealed that one in every 10 children treated in the emergency room may be the victim of a medical error. Medical malpractice is a leading cause of preventative death, and many die from the application of medication.

Do our current laws reflect these dangers, and that it may be safer to decline medical treatment than to

receive it? What overrides a parent's decision about treatment choice?

During this experience, Corissa's main goal was to reconnect with her child so she could nurse her and offer her any possible protection. She stayed at the hospital for days, from her initial arrival until the court hearing, where the charge of "medical neglect" was dismissed and mother and child could be fully reunited.

Corrisa's next goal was to address the law that allowed this to happen, and in doing so, create a public discussion regarding choice and risk. The family retained legal counsel and proceeded to file a tort claim, the results of which may have broad implications for parents and health professionals everywhere. WCA member Dr. Tim Dudley and his awesome team, Kerri, Mark and Helen, offered support to the family and Idaho chiropractors rallied, many offering testimony in defense of the tort claim.

What really happened that night? The baby's history revealed some non‑medical choices: a home birth, her doctor was a naturopath, she had not been immunized, were they "profiled"? What were all the factors involved in determining the course of her medical treatment? Does every baby arriving at the E.R. with a temperature receive a spinal tap? Would the hospital have acted the same had the baby been brought in by her father? While some top M.D.s are changing how they practice medicine -- as well as their attitudes and interactions with other health care professionals -- Deepak Chopra is not running our local E.R., so how can we protect ourselves when we are at our most vulnerable?

Too often inappropriate behavior, words or actions are just absorbed or processed with the help of our loved ones. This mother stood up and said "ENOUGH! This changes here. I cannot allow anyone to experience what I went through -- this is wrong. If I am the one to change it, so be it, I accept." This is a remarkable family, and a special mother who deserves all of our support and congratulations. You are welcome to contact her at muelleric@msn.com. And a special salute to all mothers. Happy Mothers Day!

(Dr. Madeline Behrendt is chair of the WCA Council on Women's Health and associate editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation [JVSR]. An author and speaker, she is committed to connecting women to chiropractic and chiropractors to women, and may be contacted at drmadeline@drmadelinedc.com)