A young teenager in Appleton, Wisconsin, has made a decision to commit suicide, after a life-long battle with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2. Child protection authorities have been called upon by disability rights groups to investigate her decision.
Jerika Bolen, a 14 year old girl who was born with SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) Type 2, has planned to enter a hospice, and to cease treatment for the incurable disease, including the use of the ventilator that assists her breathing throughout the day. Jerika's mother, Jen Bolen, has not made the effort to prevent her daughter from going through with the decision, which has alerted child protection referrals, citing child neglect on her part.
According to Post-Crescent, Disabled Parents Rights based in Colorado along with three other disability rights groups sent a joint letter to the authorities in the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, seeking intervention for Jerika, saying that she is "clearly suicidal," and that she needs an intervention, rather than assistance for her decision to die.
Mitchell Hagopian, attorney for Disability Rights, in a report from USA Today, says that a child protection investigation would provide a suitable check for a life and death decision, adding that there is reason that they don't see palliative care as being appropriate.
Hagopian has said that his organization supports self-determination for medical care in adults. He believes, though, that children are still not able to make those decisions for themselves. Hence, he questions Jen Bolen's actions on supporting her daughter's decision.
Jerika's story has reached all across the US, and an outpouring of support was shown for her, as thousands of people attended her last wish for having a prom, called "J's Last Dance." Jerika intends to spend last summer with her mom, before pushing through with her plans.
Jen Bolen has recently asked for privacy from the protests of disability rights groups, and has made no comment on her daughter's care.
