Who should have more right over a child's life..parents..doctors..the courts ??!!!
On the 8th of October, it was reported in The Times that the courts had taken the decision that the next time she stops breathing she shouldn't be resuscitated and baby Charlotte must be allowed to die.......
Its been haunting me ever since....
I have taken a long time to post this..mulling over it in my head again and again and again..baby Charlotte's picture..her face covered in tubes..her eyes vacant and staring (or were they trying to say something ???)....
My instinctive reaction was that it was the parents prerogative to decide, that they should have the first right over their daughter's life ! They wanted their daughter, who was born prematurely, to have a fighting chance to survive, that she be given every chance to live. Surely it was the parent's prerogative..their choice ?
But then again....
Parents may not always be right, perhaps we need a more objective eye to decide what is best in the longer run. The quality of Baby Charlotte's life was terrible since the moment she was born. She had been kept alive only because of the machines and it was known that this is how she would live ..if at all..alive..but only in name...
I don't know whats right any more..I can see both view points..I understand both..and feel both are right..I can't make up my mind about what's right in this case....
and Baby Charlotte's face continues to haunt me.....
and today another desperately ill baby's fate is going to be decided in court.See here for article.
Link
posted by Pincushion @ 9:34 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Thank you Rachel for replying so promptly ! I do hope that more people read this, I do so need to understand how to deal with this issue. People might wonder why its so important when I have no personal issues..but I have worked with challenged children before..I have seen parents struggling and the hope and the sadness and the eternal questions that haunt..
Thank you for the url and your comment...take care.
Thank you Rachel for mentioning me on your blog and directing readers here. I really appreciate it and also your honesty :-). Also thank you for the link and the info about the Terri Case. Thank you..Take care..
Like animals in a zoo whose world is their cage, so also with the child born unfortunate. They would certainly take pleasure in being held and being cared like someone said and I suppose maybe they also take the constant pain as a normal existence for they know nothing better.
Logically it should be the child who should decide, but then that's not only an impossibility but also a folly, for like the caged animal the child would perhaps want to live on in captivity and suffering.
The beast is meant for the jungle and not the cage, no matter how well fed it is.
The only deciding factor thus is the degree of freedom (or disability).
In such extreme cases, one must set them free. I would myself not like to live like that.
The parents have selfish reasons no matter how noble they seem.
This is an extremely sad situation, one that has a parent, I hope that I never find myself in. I believe in some instances that the parents should be the ones to make decisions regarding the life of their child. On the other hand, it is not always such a clear-cut decision. The parents are obviously emotionally torn by the health of their infant. The physicians tending to this precious baby have invested years of higher education in the study of medicine and it's effect on the human body. If they have determined (without any doubts) that this baby's suffering is in vain, then she should be freed from the pain and trauma that she is undoubtedly experiencing. This poor baby entered this world struggling. When one needs a machine to sustain life, after a while you should begin to wonder and ask yourself what the meaning of life is. It is certainly not lying in a hospital bed with tubes connected to various parts of your body as well as a machine that is designed to ensure that your heart continues to beat and that your organs continue to function properly. I for one would not want to live this way. I pray that the parents seek comfort, understanding & guidance from God so that they will be at peace with the ultimate decision that is made, whether it is their decision or the courts. God bless this little angel.
Thank you Madcap, anon, and Tan for responding and stating your views. I appreciate it very much. It is a very big ethical dilemma which has very far-reaching consequences and I suppose there are really no clear cut generalisations which can be made here. Its a double edged sword, a sort of to be or not to be situation and either ways the loss is huge and extremely painful for all parties concerned. At this point all we can do is pray for peace for the parents for the poor suffering babies, and everybody else connected to their lives..
Great post , it got me thinking and as I can see from the comments it got allot of other people thinking too. I would have commented too but I think you have called it exactly right.
It is a ethical is an ethical quagmire. My prayers go out to the parents of little Charlotte .
Thank you Akshay for visiting and expressing your viewpoint and support on the issue and of course your prayers ! We can only hope and pray for peace....
Thank you Anne for visiting and expressing your thoughts on the issue. Your comment is extremely thoughtful and full of compassion and yes you are so right in so many of the things that you said..No parent should have to be faced with this kind of decision, its the worst possible position for a parent to be in..AS a person of God your view is invaluable and you have helped me too in thinking about in a clearer manner..
Thank you ever so much !
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