Posted on 11/10/2009 10:52:34 PM PST by pillut48
In the end the young father could fight no longer.
For more than a year he had made daily visits to the hospital bedside of his chronically-disabled son.
For six emotional days in the High Court he had battled against the hospital - and the baby's mother - who were reluctantly seeking the right to withdraw life support.
Finally, faced with overwhelming evidence, he made the 'agonising' decision to let his beloved son go.
Both parents wept as the court was told he no longer opposed the hospital's application.
They said later they wanted to spend 'what little time remains with their beloved son'.
The father's heart-breaking move came after an independent expert said his son's quality of life was not good enough to justify prolonging it.
The 13-month-old boy, identified only as RB, has an extremely rare disorder that has robbed him of almost all muscle control.
His brain is undamaged, but trapped in an almost immovable body, unable to speak or even smile.
Incapable of breathing, he has been dependent on a ventilator since he was born.
Now it will be turned off within days. Doctors will administer a large dose of sedative to ensure the little boy does not suffer as he dies.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Thank you pillut48.
Thanks for this post, it is fantastic!
You’re welcome Wagglebee.
We are all familiar with the term idiopathic where a doctor has no idea what caused a disease; isn’t there a term that describes when a doctor causes the specific condition? (No bearing on this case, just something nagging at me)
It finally came to me — iatrogenic.
I was waiting for one of you fringe pro lifers to pick up on my phrase about ventilators...You and your posse think your the only one’s that value life...These parents made their choice and it’s none of your business....Keep your self-rightousness to yourselves.
At 23 weeks, 53% survive.
At 24 weeks, 67% survive.
At 25 weeks, 82% survive.
Unlike the 13 mo. old, they will eventually breathe on their own. That doesn't appear to be the case for him. Removing him from a ventilator does not equal taking his life; it's letting nature take its course. Hopefully I'm not wrong in my belief.
In the United States, it was an integral part of what we’ve always called “American values.” It hasn’t completely disappeared, but in the past couple decades it’s become watered down with European relativism and fatalism. In my youth, it was unheard of to consider killing disabled people just for being disabled. That attitude has always been associated with the Nazis. It was an important part of that ugly history we refer to when using the famous phrase “Never again.” We tend to find it baffling that anyone would welcome a return to those dark and hellish days.
parent.
Singular.
NOT Dad.
Maybe I misread the article but didn’t the father finally agree? I think it is a horrible situation for any parent to be in....
Well, it's clear that YOU don't value life.
These parents made their choice and it’s none of your business.
The MOTHER made her decision and it's just as much my business as it is yours.
Keep your self-rightousness to yourselves.
Not wanting to see a baby murdered is "self-righteous"? That is very warped thinking.
I never used the the comment “fringe pro-lifers†until I got on a thread months back about a 9 year old girl, preg. with twins and impregnated by her father/stepfather.
Her mother with the doctors counsel decided on an abortion for this child...(she would be the age of a 3rd or 4th grader). I read some of the so called pro-lifers twist themselves up in knots to say this was wrong.
This was self defense, as she would not survive carrying twins. Its high risk for a normal healthy female, and probably fatal to a 9 year old child...thats when I decided I am anti abortion not fringe pro-life.
Some of the comments were she should carry this pregnancy until the babies were able to be taken via C-section, (if she lived long enough is my reply to that suggestion.) Another said gee, a 5 year old once gave birth to a healthy child. (no links to back it up) And those are only 2 of them I remember. To call a nine year old and her mother and her doctor a murderer is callous beyond belief...
Many of those pings to my reply were on that thread...
This time I was agreeing with another posted, pinging posse's to help you is the sign of one that cannot stand alone and fight their own battles..There are a couple of groups that do it regularly and I avoid them like the plague...they speak many times (no all and not always) like a fringe group..
Like a mob they are brave in numbers and need reassurance that there are friends help them in their attacks and will back them up.....You should all fight your own battles with your own intellect like the majority of Freepers do..
:O) just my humble opinion
You my dear do not have the slightest idea what I value and what I don’t..Unless you are the best psychic on the planet and then you should open a psychic hot line.....
Actually I do, you said that we are "playing God" when we use medicine to keep people alive:
Agree with you, its heartbreaking but this baby would have died at birth 50 years ago. We play God when we use technology to heroically prolong the death process...This is a heartbreaking choice for the parents to make, they deserve compassion not condemnation from others.. ***Just because we can keep a person alive indefinately, does not mean that we should. God Bless those parents***You are right with this statement...
*
www.dylanwalborn.com
If one is fortunate enough to be authorized by a committee to obtain medical equipment, the patient will be taxed for it.
I'm on the pro-life ping list that you keep complaining about, but I don't remember ever seeing the threads you're talking about. Even if they do exist, I don't see what they could possibly have to do with me or this thread.
I don't understand why you would apply the term "fringe pro-lifers" to people who object to the cold blooded murder of a fully aware one year old child for the "crime" of being disabled.
I know I've seen you advocating forced euthanasia in previous cases, where the criteria was a bit more narrow. Each time the bar is lowered, you jump on board with the pro-death agenda. I'm curious to see just how low you'll go. Is there some point at which you would object? How many people do you want to see killed? ♪ How many, how many I wonder. Though I really don't want to know. ♪
There is no comparison. Hawking was struck down by a debilitating disease as an adult. This boy is a child, and children need to actively experience their senses and move about to enable brain developement. So even if his mind is unaffected is he insane from this imprisonment? I know you mean well but he is being kept artificially alive.
If he can’t breathe on his own that means he can’t swallow or move his eyelids. Have you ever seen a person trapped in a long-term coma? By now the muscles of his arms and legs will have atrophied from lack of use. If this were purposefully done to someone as punishment, I believe it would be considered cruel and unusual. But you want him to be forced unnaturally to endure this continual hell!
I know you don’t intend to hurt him but through your compassion you’re keeping him artificailly alive, long past when God intended he die.
Take him off the respirator and let him find peace.
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.