Posted on 02/21/2008 9:40:50 PM PST by SmithL
LOS ANGELES -- An immigrant who sued state and federal authorities for failing to diagnose and treat his penile cancer in Southern California jails and detention centers has died of the disease, his lawyers said Thursday.
Francisco Castaneda, 36, died Saturday at his Los Angeles-area home, a year after doctors amputated his penis to try to stop the spread of the cancer, the attorneys said. They said they would go ahead with the lawsuit, filed Oct. 31 in federal court in Los Angeles.
Castaneda left his native El Salvador with his mother during a civil war and entered the United States illegally when he was 10. He was convicted in 2005 of possessing methamphetamine and spent eight months in jail, then was held in immigration detention centers in San Diego and San Pedro while awaiting proceedings on deportation and his claim of political asylum.
According to his lawsuit, a doctor first noticed a growth on his penis in December 2005, while he was in state custody, and ordered further tests that were never conducted. Multiple lesions developed and Castaneda's pain increased while he was in immigration detention centers, but doctors and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency officials turned down medical staff recommendations for a biopsy and surgery, the suit said.
A doctor finally ordered a biopsy in late January 2007 and said Castaneda probably had cancer, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement released him 11 days later rather than having him treated, the suit said. He underwent the biopsy and amputation at a Los Angeles County hospital.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I agree, he was offered treatment, including the removal of his social finger, it was not effective.
For me, there are all sorts of these hand wringing stories, and I’ve passed my MTBFR on them.
” You gotta feed him, you gotta give him medical care, etc.”
Why?
I don’t like the idea of being put in the position of having to give this guy medical care, but if he was diagnosed with a problem, he should have been taken care of.
Folks, I don’t like it eather, but we do need to provide humanitarian treatment of prisoners, even if illegal immigrants.
Now, when the problem was diagnosed, he should have been given special dispensation, released back to El Salvador so that he could seek treatment down there.
He didn’t belong here. We shouldn’t foot the bill.
Had a friend who had his amputated too. Left him with a ten inch stub.
You gotta feed him, you gotta give him medical care, etc.
Why?
Because, unless he’s been given a death sentence, no one should be dying from neglect in prison. The crimes he was convicted of were not death penalty offenses.
He’s totally incapable of getting medical treatment on his own.
Therefore, if he’s in prison, we taxpayers provide treatment.
What’s the alternative? That every man or woman in prison, whether for tax evasion, grand theft, drug possession, assault, or even the few who are innocent (and we know they are there), is subject to a sentence of no medical or dental care while incarcerated.
I could not go along with that. Except perhaps for those who are waiting for the chair anyway.
Ouch.....the Catholics aren’t kidding around when they say kids will be punished for masturbation.
“Castaneda left his native El Salvador with his mother during a civil war and entered the United States illegally when he was 10.”
It WAS pretty rough down there 25 years ago. IIRC, even some nuns were raped and murdered.
When I die I am donating mine. I figure if I can help two or three guys lead a better life, so be it. :)
I always thought that fell under the rule of “don’t ask, don’t tell”.
Now with a stub like that....
...some rules are made to be broken.
Well, for example the word “custody” itself means “guardianship” or “in the care of”, not simply that the guy isn’t free to leave of his own volition. It means that you’re taking responsibility for the guy.
Somebody said he wouldn’t have got good medical care in El Salvador. If the guy were from Ethiopia, would it be OK not to feed him? If you don’t want to assume the responsibilities of having someone in custody because he wouldn’t be any better off back in El Salvador, then send him back there.
Now another Freeper responded to the same post and said that medical treatment was given, but wasn’t successful. If so, then fine. I’ll have to reread the original article.
That seems the most reasonable solution of all. I don't like paying for medical treatment (or anything, for that matter) for illegals, but if you're going to keep the guy locked up, you don't leave yourself with much choice.
Ok, so he WAS treated after all, making the entire story a lie. Sue Los Angeles County if you want.
Yes, that’s true. Thanks for the response.
Prayers for a misguided soul.
But the problem first came to medical attention in December 2005, 13 months earlier. If they didn’t want to treat him while in custody, they should have released him promptly so he could seek his own treatment. Since he was an illegal, they probably should have deported him rather than simply release him if they didn’t want to hold him (and treat him).
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