Can government order chemo for teen?

Here in Virginia, we've got a really tough case going on about who decides on life-saving medical treatment for a child. A teenager named Starchild Abraham Cherrix, 15, has had several rounds of chemotherapy for Hodgkins Disease. He and his parents say that another round of chemo would probably finish him off. The local child protection agency says that chemo is necessary to try to save his life, and the local juvenile court agreed, ordering him to get chemo and giving the agency joint custody over him along with his parents. The family appealed to the Circuit Court, which has apparently reversed or stayed the order and scheduled a new trial for August 14. (Appeals from juvenile court in Virginia are "de novo", which means a complete new trial.)

Here's the full story -- or at least the latest episode of it as of late July -- from the Washington Post.

This is really a togh one. I'd appreciate comments on this post.