Supported by her mother Jackie Fortin, Cassandra had decided against putting her body through the trauma of the treatment recommended by her doctors, and was fighting the State to uphold what she believed to be that right.
With Cassandra’s case being heard yesterday, reports have revealed that the court has deemed the teenager not mentally competent to make her own medical decisions. As a result, her plea was rejected and she has been ordered to continue on with the course of chemotherapy.
Testifying yesterday, Connecticut State’s assistant attorney general John E. Tucker highlight Cassandra’s mother’s involvement as central to their concerns for the teenager’s actions.
“The mother took the front seat on this. She [Ms Fortin] didn’t bring her to the first medical appointment. The child was very quiet, did not engage in conversations during the medical appointments. And for a 17-year-old, as you can imagine, that’s a little bit unusual,” said Tucker.
As a result of the Connecticut Supreme Court ruling, Cassandra will remain in the temporary custody child-welfare workers at the Hartford hospital that previously treated her, where she will undergo a full course of chemotherapy.
Doctors previously put Cassandra’s chances of survival at 80 to 85 percent.
