Posted on 04/21/2005 6:26:24 PM PDT by swilhelm73
LONDON — Rejecting a bid by the parents, a British judge on Thursday upheld a court order allowing doctors to let a critically ill baby die if she stops breathing — a move doctors say is the only humane way to end the child's suffering.
Eighteen-month-old Charlotte Wyatt (search) can hardly see or hear and weighed about a pound when she was born prematurely. Her brain and other organs are so seriously damaged that she has "no feeling other than continuing pain," according to physicians.
Darren and Debbie Wyatt, who believe in preserving life at any cost, sought to overturn a court order granted in October.
But Justice Mark Hedley was not persuaded by the parents' pleas.
"I am quite clear that it would not be in Charlotte's best interests to die in the course of futile aggressive treatment," Hedley ruled Thursday at London's High Court.
Hedley said he would review the order again, probably in October.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
She is still breathing, right? On her own? So the judge will not allow 'full code' if she stops breathing?
That's the way I read it. It didn't mention a machine or anything. I don't have a problem with this if they don't suffocate her in order to "help her along". They also didn't mention anything about how she is being fed. So it doesn't say anything about removing food or water.
These "doctors" have abandoned medicine and have moved on to a world where they are the ultimate judge on who lives and who dies.
It's happening everywhere, and we are all potential victims of the "doctors" in black.
What happens if she doesn't stop breathing?
I don't necessarily trust the news media to report accurately the child's medical condition.
For all we know, the child could just be suffering from asthma and they want to stop administering albuterol breathing treatments during an attack. I'd need to know more about this child before I could give an opinion about this.
Go to http://charlottewyatt.blogspot.com
She does not look like a baby in constant pain. She has made noticeable improvement since the doctors first said she was a hopeless case. Now they say her brain has stopped growing and she is still a hopeless case. I suppose she always will be to them.
At least the judge is going to review his order if she hangs on another few months. The family plans to appeal.
Mrs VS
You're right in not trusting the media to report her condition accurately, the same as they did not report Terri Schiavo's condition accurately.
As far as our opinions, does anyone have the right to tell her parents that she should not live?
You are right the baby looks fairly normal as far as one can tell from looking at a picture of a baby. It sounds like this could be another murder someone because we don't like their "quality of life". Well I don't think that people who like to murder people have ANY quality to their lives so they should theirfore under their own standard make sure that they themselves are murdered.
Not even a DNR, but a 'do not intubate' order.
From the article, "she will be given treatment except for invasive routines of intubation and ventilation...", so they will resusitate, i.e. medicate & do CPR &/or bag her, and give nasal O2; but not intubate, nor put her on a mechanical ventilator.
I think that we should take the most conservative approach to life and death issues possible. But, I also don't think that the loved ones of terminally ill or seriously ill patients have the right to force medical personnel and facilities to violate their own conscience by performing painful and useless procedures on patients for the purpose of keeping the patient alive to comfort the family members. At the same time, I don't think that the courts have the right to kill patients (ala Terri Schiavo).
Let the parents take the child out of the facility and try to find another one that will work with their wishes. If she really is beyond hope (as the hospital says), then eventually, the parents will be forced to either face reality or take her to a South American scam artist performing medical miracles out of a converted school bus.
An oxygen tent isn't the same as a respirator. I would say they would have to keep the tent. I can understand a do not resusitate(sp?) in this case (although I see there are more facts coming out now that could change my mind).
Nothing happens if she doesn't stop breathing.
This is not a new court order, just a reaffirmation of the original one that was issued in October.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.