Does the baby have a right to life?

[HBK-aholic]

A British High Court judge has begun the unenviable task of deciding whether a baby boy with an active brain locked inside an immobile body should live or die.

Doctors caring for the boy, who are backed by his mother, say he will lead a “miserable, sad and pitiful existence”, even if surgery allows him to be disconnected from his hospital ventilator and returned home to one of his estranged parents.

They are asking Mr Justice McFarlane to rule that his life support should be switched off “in his best interests”.

However, his father believes that his son, who was born with a rare condition which severely restricts his ability to breath and move, could be taken off his life support if surgeons carry out a tracheostomy, which creates an opening in the neck to deliver air to the lungs

Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/uk...-should-live-or-die-432688.html#ixzz0WCYHuvPw​

First of all, this would be a completely heart-wrenching position for any parent to be in. But if this was you, would you want your child to live and suffer, or die and be at peace? As horrible as the decision would be, I'd ask for the life support to be turned off. My child being happy, and not in pain, would be more important to me than my own happiness. Yes, losing a child would absolutely kill me, but I'd rather be the one in pain.

That being said, if the father of the child, with as many rights as the mother, wants the child to live, the child should be allowed to live. I don't think he's in the right in what he's asking, but we can't dismiss the fact he wants his child to survive here. Maybe he's being selfish in not wanting to suffer the loss, maybe he genuinely believes the child can be happy, but either way, the decision should be between the mother and father, regardless of the feelings of doctors, and if they can't come to a decision, the child should be kept on life support and offered any treatment possible.

What would you do if you a parent in the situation? What would you rule if you were the judge? Note they're 2 different questions with often different answers.

 

[BladeRunner]

Life will always have pain of some sort.

Some if it hardcore, some of it not so much.

So what I'm saying is, if you're going to be alive, you're going to go through some kind of pain, and you might as well get used to it. And also, pain most of the time is temporary or goes in cycles, so it's not always painful. I believe that life is sacred and so we should hold onto life as long as we can. Also, the people who believe in life most are probably going to pass on their genes, while the people who think life is horrible will either kill themselves or be depressed and not have a family and a future.

As for the child, it should be up to him to decide what he wants to do with his life. It's his life.

If his father agreed that the child should be put to death, the murder of his child is upon his shoulders. How many good people can live with such a burden upon themselves?

Life is tough, but it's all we got, so make the most of it and don't squander it.

 

[SavageTaker]

Good thread Becca!

What would you do if you a parent in the situation?

If I was the parent in that sort of situation then I think I’d take all of the time possible to think about my decision. I’d think of all of the possible pros and cons and then make a decision.

Without going through all of the pros and cons, I would keep my child alive. Sometimes life is about taking chances, and this would be one of those times. If there’s a slight chance that my child would be able to have a happy existence then I would do everything possible to make sure he or she is happy. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I knew that there was a small possibility that my child could be happy but I didn’t allow it to happen.

What would you rule if you were the judge?

That’s a tough question for me to answer because I don’t know how judges usually think or how they would think if cases like this happened to them. But I think I would still let the child live and hope that they don’t suffer a miserable, sad, and pitiful life. I would probably put myself in the position of a parent and think of what I would want for my child which would be the answer to the first question.

 

[Razor]

What would you do if you a parent in the situation?

I would want him to be at peace. I couldn't be like those parents in France who have their essentially brain dead and completely dependent daughter just laying on a bed with dolls around her for the rest of her life. In fact, I have a Cigar Lounge thread coming up about that....

But at any rate, I'd fight for my child to die. It sounds harsh, but I'm putting it bluntly like that to counteract the inevitable "You're murdering your child" argument. It's essentially a mercy killing, and I'm not a doctor. I'm sure my God would understand. If he doesn't, then I'll take whatever punishment he has for me.

What would you rule if you were the judge?

This would be simple if the father wanted him to be taken off of life support as well. In fact, there wouldn't even be a need for the judge. So this paragraph is of no use, really.

If the father wants to care for his child, absorbing the costs and what not of the care despite the fact that his wife very well may leave him over this entire conflict, then the judge should rule to keep the child alive. Both parents have the right as medical proxy for their dependent. In fact, the child can't even argue either way, so he isn't even a factor. The father wants him alive, keep the child alive.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Life will always have pain of some sort.

Some if it hardcore, some of it not so much.

So what I'm saying is, if you're going to be alive, you're going to go through some kind of pain, and you might as well get used to it. And also, pain most of the time is temporary or goes in cycles, so it's not always painful.

But here, we're not talking about the pain of your girlfriend breaking up with you, or even abroken arm. It's not being able to talk, move, or do anything for yourself. Think about it. You're you - your brain is what it is now. Except you can't go out and play football with your friends. You can't come on WZ to discuss wrestling. Probably can't even bath yourself. Do you want to be trapped like that?

I believe that life is sacred and so we should hold onto life as long as we can. Also, the people who believe in life most are probably going to pass on their genes, while the people who think life is horrible will either kill themselves or be depressed and not have a family and a future.

As for the child, it should be up to him to decide what he wants to do with his life. It's his life.

This isn't an intelligent child though, it's a baby.

If his father agreed that the child should be put to death, the murder of his child is upon his shoulders. How many good people can live with such a burden upon themselves?

I don't think you can call it murder. They would simply be allowing his life support to be turned off. They're not doing anything to cause the death, simply allowing the inevitable. Much like an adult with terminal cancer denying treatment.

 

[Loveless]

First of all, this would be a completely heart-wrenching position for any parent to be in. But if this was you, would you want your child to live and suffer, or die and be at peace?

Turn it off and to be honest, I didn't even have to think that hard about it. If the child is reliant on life support and has no chance of recovery, that's no kind of life for anyone, even moreso a child with no understanding of their condition. If you can't fight nature, you have to accept it and let it run it's course.
Now this is going to sound awful but putting myself in the mothers position, I could not and would not continue to watch my child suffer if the decision went against me. I would walk away and let those who want the child to survive to take over. If you choose to let this child suffer, then it's your responsibility, your guilt to shoulder.

What would you do if you a parent in the situation? What would you rule if you were the judge? Note they're 2 different questions with often different answers.

As a judge, that's a far more complex issue, dependant on the wishes of the parents, who the priority carer is, cost, medical advice and so on, which we're not aware of.
I'd much rather both parents were on the same page but as they're not, I would take the medical advice.

 

[BladeRunner]

Stephen Hawking, the physicist, is almost completely paralyzed, or another way of putting it is "an active brain in an immobile body". Should he be put to death too? I'm sure he wouldn't want to be and would disagree with such.

There are lots of people who are paralyzed and yet can still think. As long as a person can think they're still a human being and deserve to be the one who makes the choice about their life.

Helen Keller could not see or hear but she had a good life too. There's lots of people with huge disabilities that can still have a good life.

 

[Loveless]

Stephen Hawking, the physicist, is almost completely paralyzed, or another way of putting it is "an active brain in an immobile body". Should he be put to death too? I'm sure he wouldn't want to be and would disagree with such.

There are lots of people who are paralyzed and yet can still think. As long as a person can think they're still a human being and deserve to be the one who makes the choice about their life.

Helen Keller could not see or hear but she had a good life too. There's lots of people with huge disabilities that can still have a good life.

Oh come on, it's not even comparable and you're really stretching for an argument here. Stephen Hawking was an adult when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. He was an educated adult, he understood what was happening, he had lived some life and continued to do so for years afterwards and (and I want to stress this) it was his choice to live on. This baby will never have a life, it'll never get a choice, it'll never have an education, all it will do is watch and suffer and that's totally not on. Nothing you have said is comparable to what this child will go through.

 

[Freddy4190]

I couldn't have my baby laying there on life support. I honestly don't think it would be that much of an issue for me to take it off. I'd rather see it die in peace then live in hell. That's a hard decision for alot of people to make, but I just couldn't see my baby laying there motionless, knowing there'd be no chance of he/she having a normal life at all.

 

[lordslix0129]

There are much worse things in the living world than death. And I think being on life support for the rest of your life is one of them. Like Freddy said, I too would rather see it die in peace.