The family decided that they wanted to bring Joseph home to die while in their care, in the same way that they cared for their first child who died of a similar condition more than 8 years ago. The family asked that a tracheotomy be done to allow Joseph to breath on his own, so they could bring him home.
The issue is, who has the right to decide? Does the hospital and doctor, or does the family have the right to decide on how to care for their terminally ill child?
Exactly, the state wants to take control of Baby Joseph because they think that death is better for him.
Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.
FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
In this case, I do not see any chance that Baby Joseph will undergo a miraculous recovery. The controversy, as I see it, is whether his death should be hastened in the hospital, or allowed to occur naturally at home. There is no logical reason why a tracheotomy can't be done so that Baby Joseph can be brought home to die comfortably instead of in the sterile, cold, unfriendly environment of the hospital.
The parents have gone through this tragedy before; therefore, they know what to expect. It isn’t like the hospital doctors don’t think they can go through this alone. The parents should be able to take their little one home, love him for the time he has left on this earth. Not only will Baby Joseph die hearing his parent’s voices but the parents can say good-bye in their own personal way. They deserve that much. IMHO
Thank you for posting this. It provides clarification for a lot of the objections I’ve heard raised.
Could the parents not pay for the tracheotomy themselves?
“”I have not indicated in any way what I would want in such a circumstance””
I hope no one here will put themselves in such a position. Health Care Directives are easy enough to do. We needed to prepare new ones as our old ones had expiration dates and we had moved. I found our new state approved directive online and printed them; signed and witnessed and filed away where they can be retrieved easily and given to a doctor and/or hospital.
Of course, all of it becomes moot if the decision is taken out of our hands ala obamacare!
The story of Baby Joseph is heartrending in many aspects, and I pray God's help and peace for him and his family.
This is the face of socialized medicine.
It depends on your definition of “ordinary care” vs. “extraordinary care,” something that can be difficult to define. You state that a tracheotomy is “not extra-ordinary,” on what do you base this?
You also open a wider question - where does the line lie for a family to decide on care that is considered medically futile? What about the rights of the medical worker to refuse to initiate care they feel is medically futile? (Yes, I am aware that in *this* case, there is disagreement about whether the care is futile or not. I am also aware that I have no clear answer for the question, and I am curious if you feel you do have a clear answer.)
The family only asked to bring Joseph home; but to do so would require Joseph to be capable of breathing on his own. This is why they requested that a tracheotomy be done. A tracheotomy is not a difficult procedure; it is not futile, burdensome or extra-ordinary.
I asked the author of this article, Alex Schadenberg, the following questions:
To your knowledge, when Joseph's sister Zina went home with a trach, was a ventilator used at home at any point in her care, or did she survive without any ventilator assistance at home?In Joseph's case, will there be a need for a home ventilator? If not, has that been verified by any independent medical specialists?
Here is an excerpt from his response (emphasis added):
"...I have been involved with this case for a long time.1. Zina went home on a trach but with no ventilator. The family cared for Zina and they suctioned the mucus when necessary. She lived 6 months.
2. At this time the family has not requested a home ventilator, even though 2 have been donated to the family for Joseph. Since he has been on the ventilator for so long, it may be necessary to put him on a ventilator, but once again, the family has not requested it.
3. The family has not asked for home vent therapy. They never asked for home vent therapy, even though in Canada there are many parents who have been given home vent therapy.
Is there not one decent qualified physician left in Canada who would voluntary give this child a tracheotomy? This is scary.