UK
Court
to Rule Whether Baby Better Off Dead Than Disabled
Most contested cases of removing babies or profoundly disabled adults
from needed life support have involved those with serious brain
injuries or cognitive impairments. But once the idea that dead is
better than disabled takes hold, it will soon spread to those with
physical disabilities.
Now, in the UK, parents are fighting over withdrawing life support from
a seriously disabled one-year-old child who is cognitively normal. From
the story:
The mother of a chronically ill baby has defended her court battle with
the child’s father to have his life support machine turned off. The
boy, known only as RB, has congenital myasthenic syndrome, a rare
neuromuscular condition that severely limits limb movement and the
ability to breathe independently. He has been hospitalized since birth.
Doctors want to take the 1-year-old off a ventilator, which helps him
breathe, but the boy’s father, who is separated from his mother,
opposes the plan. The hospital trust which provides his care has taken
the case to the High Court. If the trust wins, it would be the first
time a British court has ruled against the wishes of a parent whose
child does not suffer from brain damage.
In a statement, the mother’s lawyer, Anthony Fairweather said: “RB’s
mother has sat by her son’s bedside every day since he was born. “In
her mind the intolerable suffering experienced by her son must outweigh
her own personal grief should she lose her child,” the statement said.
But lawyers for the father argue the baby’s brain is unaffected by the
condition and that he can see, hear, feel and recognize his parents.
They will submit video footage, which they say shows Baby RB playing
with toys, enjoying and listening to music and interacting with his
parents. The father argues that a tracheotomy, where a hole is made in
the neck to allow air to reach his lungs, would allow his son to leave
hospital and be cared for at home.
This is an important case. First, shouldn’t the benefit of the doubt go
to life? Second, shouldn’t everything be done to try and help the
boy
live instead of die? Third, that a hospital arguing to end life
is
very alarming. Finally, if the hospital/mother win the case, the
message that would be sent by taking a child out of life against the
wishes of a parent solely because of disability is that dead is better
than disabled. As a society, do we really want to accept that
meme?
Contact: Wesley J.
Smith
Source:
Secondhand Smoke
Publish
Date:
November 4, 2009
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