Parental Rights Cancer Controversy

Texas Takes Girl From Kin; Wants Her To Get Radiation Treatment

(CBS)  A battle between the parents of a 12-year-old girl and the state of Texas over the best treatment for the girl's Hodgkin's Disease has mushroomed into a custody battle involving parental rights.

Pointing to doctors' opinions that radiation is needed, Texas has taken Katie Wernecke from her home. She and her parents insist the cancer is in remission and radiation isn't necessary. CBS News Correspondent Bob McNamara reports on The Early Show.

"I feel great," Katie says in a home video. "I don't need radiation treatments, and nobody asked me what I wanted. It's my body."

Her parents made the video, to protest Texas Child Protective Services efforts to have Katie undergo radiation treatment.

In court, arguing their parental rights, they tried to stop the radiation procedures on the grounds the treatments were dangerous.

"We do not believe this is the best treatment for our daughter because it can cause additional harm to her. There are other alternatives we can use if the cancer comes back," says Katie's father, Edward Wernecke.

Katie was taken into state custody from her parents nearly a week ago, McNamara reports, on the grounds they were not doing enough to treat her cancer.

She was hospitalized in Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Katie's last diagnosis recommended radiation treatments.

"There was a second opinion, a third opinion and a fourth opinion," points out Darrell Azar of Texas Child Protective Services, "and they all believe additional treatment is necessary."