Allow Debate On Euthanasia For Seriously Disabled Infants Say Experts
Featured ArticleMain Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 05 Nov 2006 - 8:00 PDT
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As medical science progresses the number of seriously disabled babies that survive is growing - we should therefore consider having a debate on allowing active euthanasia, for the good of families, says the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology. The College explains families who have the most severely disabled babies, babies who until recently would not have survived, are suffering enormously, both emotionally and financially.
The college explains that if obstetricians were allowed to carry out active euthanasia, some patients would be more inclined to wait till birth, rather than carrying out late abortions.
It seems there is some support for this proposal by several parents of severely disabled babies, medical ethicists and geneticists. However, many express concern that this could be the first step in the slippery slope of social engineering.
In a submission to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the College explained "We would like the working party to think more radically about non-resuscitation, withdrawal of treatment decisions, the best interests test and active euthanasia as they are ways of widening the management options available to the sickest of newborns."
Euthanasia of newborns, no matter how sick and/or disabled they are, is illegal in the United Kingdom. In the Netherlands, there are cases where active euthanasia of newborns is allowed, such as when a baby has severe spina bifida.
The college says it is not asking for euthanasia of severely disabled newborns - rather, it would like to see a debate on it.
It is not unheard of for UK doctors to privately admit that mercy killings of newborns do take place.
Opinion of Editor of Medical News Today
I am not the parent of a severely disabled and/or sick baby. I am not a severely disabled and/or sick baby. I am neither for nor against active euthanasia of severely disabled and/or sick newborns. I believe the subject should be debated.
"Doctors: let us kill disabled babies"
See this article in The Sunday Times, UK
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
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Visitor Opinions In Chronological Order (2)
What's Next
posted by Harvey Chapman on 5 Nov 2006 at 11:31 amWhat's next, as I see it when you start down a slippery slope
such as this,you will in the end;
end up at a point where you will kill one another for the smallest
of reasons. In the end we will
deal in killing to save a dollar .
It is out and out MURDER,
there is no other term for it.
What should be down is proper
testing for compatibility of
people. Proper blood tests and
checking to make sure when
people breed, they will have
healthy children. This is something even 100 yr's ago
was known. The power's that
have let this knowledge fall
so as to have there good time's
and it also has allowed certain
race's to gain control over other's.
No you won't agree as by agreeing you have to take a stand for the truth. Much easier
to just Murder.
YOU ARE A BUNCH OF YELLOW BELLIED COWARD"S
Yes, It's Murder
posted by Sarah on 5 Nov 2006 at 7:00 pmAnd it doesn't shock me in the least that this is seriously being talked about, and is even legal in the Netherlands.
It's a slippery slope that started on abortion, but we've already reached the abyss.
In my generation, legal abortion has been a reality, and they mocked when we said that infanticide is next.
Now, we have infanticide, and they won't even concede that we were right for they too have fallen down the slippery slope. They look up blinking, wiping their mouths and saying, 'we've done nothing wrong!'
Evil has no conscience.
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