Nobody should lose contact with their children simply because they have cancer. Yet when North Carolina Judge Nancy Gordon ruled on a recent custody case, she cited the mother's breast cancer as a reason to remove the children from her care so they could have a "normal" life with their father.

"I believe everything happens for a reason. After I get my kids back or get to keep them, I'd like to see legislation passed to protect people who are sick from losing their children," the stunned mother Alaina Giordano said in an interview.

This type of ruling is not only heartbreaking, it's disturbing for its implications that cancer defines whether someone can be a good parent.

Cancer patients are not defined by their illness. Nobody's eligibility to be a fit parent should be based on such an arbitrary definition.

Sign the petition imploring North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue to protect the rights of parents with cancer.