Cancer treatment is elective, that means it is purely a question of choice, not an urgent necessity. Aggressive treatment of late stage cancer in an elderly patient such as Dr. Beverly Hall, the former Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent, is not only questionable, it can likely do more harm to her than good, both shortening her life and causing her greater suffering than she presently endures.
Were Dr. Hall to choose instead palliative care for her disease, which could relieve discomfort and prolong her life, she would be able to stand trial for her conspiracy to pocket hundreds of thousands in unearned bonuses and cheat the students she swore to educate. Defending herself against these charges is also a choice she has made. She could have owned up long ago, but she chooses not to.
I hope Judge Baxter chooses to go ahead and try her. Her many victims deserve this long-awaited relief and vindication.
