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To: Ohioan from Florida; Goodgirlinred; Miss Behave; cyn; AlwaysFree; amdgmary; angelwings49; ...
That there is even a question about this is repugnant.

Thread by me.

Proposal to withhold care from sick babies is unethical, Vatican adviser says

Rome, Italy, Apr 30, 2011 / 05:03 am (CNA).- A proposal to allow premature or sick newborn babies to die even when their life would be deemed worth living by medical staff has been condemned by a leading member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Doctor Carlo Bellieni says the suggestion being made by the Oxford-based physician James Wilkinson is both “flawed” and “an erroneous way of considering life.”

Dr. Wilkinson outlines his controversial argument in the American Journal of Bioethics. “The prevailing official view is that treatment may be withdrawn only if the burdens in an infant’s future life outweigh the benefits. ... I conclude that it is justifiable in some circumstances for parents and doctors to decide to allow an infant to die even though the infant’s life would be worth living,” Dr. Wilkinson wrote.

But as Dr. Bellieni explained to CNA, such a suggestion makes for bad ethics and poor patient care. “Firstly, babies are not the property of their parents. Secondly, at birth parents are often stressed and full of pain and suffering. The mother has the pain of childbirth. The father has the shock and stress of being faced with a very premature baby. When you’re in such pain and stress, you’re not really free to make clear-minded decisions that are so important for your offspring.”

Most importantly, Dr. Bellieni said, “the decision about life should only be taken on an objective basis and in the interest of the patient, not in the interests of a third party.”

Dr. Bellieni, who is a Director of the Neonatal Intensive Therapy Unit at Siena University Hospital, is internationally recognized as an expert in the field of neonatal care. In addition to being a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, he is also the Secretary of the Bioethics Committee of the Italian Pediatrics Society.

Although the Italian neonatalogist said he doesn’t know whether hospitals in the Western world are actually practicing Dr. Wilkinson’s radical approach, he pointed towards recent research in Canada suggesting that newborn babies are now receiving less guarantees of treatment than adults. “It’s a very sad scenario. I believe that babies should receive more care than other patients but many philosophers now believe that newborns are not persons and so they actually are receiving fewer guarantees than older people.”

“Even when burdens do seem to be high, for example in the case of severe disability, this is not a sufficient reason to withhold life-saving treatments. After all, a disabled baby has a full right to life too,” Dr. Bellieni stressed.

“Dr. Wilkinson claims that the prevailing clinical view is contrary to this. If that is the case then it’s very worrying indeed and we cannot possibly accept such a viewpoint as ethical.”


37 posted on 05/01/2011 10:01:18 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: Dr. Brian Kopp; Ohioan from Florida; Goodgirlinred; Miss Behave; cyn; AlwaysFree; amdgmary; ...
Anyone who can be in Kansas City next month should certainly try to be at this. Cardinal Burke, Bobby Schindler and Suzanne Vitadamo will all be speaking.

Dr. Brian Kopp is one of the organizers for this conference, thread by him.

Cardinal Burke to Keynote Conference on Catholic Care of the Disabled and Dying

SAN DIEGO, April 28, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- St. Gianna Physician's Guild announced today, the feast of St. Gianna, that this summer they will be hosting a conference addressing the "Culture of Death" as it relates to end of life. The conference will be held in Kansas City, KS on July 23, 2011 and is entitled: "Being Faithful, Even Unto Death" (cf Revelation 2:10): Catholic wisdom on the treatment of the disabled and dying.

This prestigious conference will include two very special guests in the lineup of speakers. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, the youngest daughter of St. Gianna Molla. It will be her first visit to the United States. Her mother was canonized in 2004 and is widely known for having opted for a risky operation that preserved the life of her child in the womb when she was two months pregnant with Gianna Emanuela. She and her two siblings represent the first time in the history of the Church that a saint was canonized while her children were still living. Other speakers include Dr. Austin Welsh, a Geriatric Specialist; Mr. Peter Breen, Executive Director of the Thomas More Society; and both siblings of Terri Schiavo, Bobby Schindler and Suzanne Vitadamo, founders of the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network.

"This is a very timely conference that we are honored to host in an effort to provide guidance and insight into the issues that affect all of us, namely issues surrounding the suffering and the dying," stated Thomas McKenna, Founder and President of St. Gianna Physician's Guild. "With the help of Cardinal Burke, we have assembled experts in all areas of medicine, law, and the Catholic Church to analyze and explain the proper and obligatory way to provide Catholic care to the most vulnerable and those who are dying," he added. The conference is of special interest to physicians, nurses, hospital directors, hospice care providers, attorneys and others who provide care and counsel for the disabled and dying and their families. Cardinal Burke stated, "This conference promises to provide an insightful and inspiring analysis which will greatly assist Catholics confronting the 'Culture of Death.' I encourage all to attend."

The day-long conference will take place on Saturday, July 23, 2011 and has the support and participation of both Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Kansas City, Kansas archdiocese and Bishop Robert Finn of the Kansas City - St. Joseph diocese. Cardinal Burke will also be celebrating a special Mass on Sunday in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City, Missouri at 9:00 am followed by a reception at the Catholic Center located a few blocks away. The public is invited.

St. Gianna Physician's Guild was founded to unite and encourage Catholic physicians, as well as others in the health care profession, to promote and defend Catholic principles in a public way and to inspire sanctification in their lives.

For more information or to register go to www.defendingnaturaldeath.org. Space is limited.
 

"We will not be silent.
We are your bad conscience.
The White Rose will give you no rest."

38 posted on 05/01/2011 10:06:54 AM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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