Jensens say citation looks like retaliation

A citation issued by the Utah Division of Consumer Protection to the family of Parker Jensen over the legality of a medical-care donation fund established for the 12-year-old boy is just another example of the state harassing the family, Daren Jensen said this week.

"This seems like retaliation to me. We gave them exactly what they said they needed and now they want a dollar-for-dollar accounting of what the money was spent on," Jensen said.

Jensen and his wife, Barbara, spent the summer in a heated custody battle over their son and his medical care.

The state recently dropped its demand that Parker Jensen undergo chemotherapy treatments for what doctors at Primary Children's Medical Center said could be Ewing's sarcoma, a bone cancer that can also show up in soft tissue.

"People have asked whether we're moving out of Utah," said Daren Jensen, who spoke Tuesday at a Dixie Republican meeting in St. George. "But then I thought, no one is going to push me out of my home, keep me away from my friends, my church.

"This is not a case of whether we trust the doctor. This is about parents' rights. It's an issue of can parents decide what's best for their child. If we were to compromise on our convictions, we couldn't live with ourselves."