Euthanizing Children

Dr. Jack Kevorkian became both famous and infamous for his stance on what he termed as physician-assisted suicide.  During the years of 1999-2007, Dr. Kevorkian served 8 years of a 10-to-25 year prison term after being convicted of second-degree murder for the death of Thomas Youk, a 52 year old man who was suffering from the final stages of ALS.  Although Dr. Kevorkian claims to have assisted in at least 130 patient suicides, during this procedure, Dr. Kevorkian chose to not only videotape the process, but inject the needle himself (in the past he had merely shown the patients how to carry this out, and they then performed the injections).

While some people argue 8 years in prison is hardly enough time served for murder, others argue no time should have been served at all, believing as Dr. Kevorkian does that "dying is not a crime."(1)  Dr. Kevorkian in 2008 while speaking to nearly 5,000 students at the University of Florida stated, "My aim was to end suffering. It's got to be decriminalized." (2)

Regardless of your take on voluntary euthanasia, there is no denying the turning point the case brought to the medical field and to the way we in the US view medical care.  Since then, the debate over an individual's rights to be taken off of life support and the rights of one's family to remove them from life support have been further debated.  The medical marajuana push has picked up steam and in some states become legal, the reason being to ease the pain of those suffering from certain illnesses and diseases.  It does seem like people today have moved from "surviving at all costs" to "living only if I can really live."

In London, England today, what could possibly be the next chapter in the euthanasia debate is being presented to the British courts.

A mother and father, whom both due to a court order cannot be named, are fighting, literally, over the life of their one-year old child.  The child, known as RB, suffers from a severe medical condition known as congenital myasthenic syndrome or CMS.  There are three different types of CMS and despite testing it is not known which type the child has.  All forms of CMS have varying degrees of respitory issues, muscular weakness, including the muscles in the eyes and throat, reduced mobility, and in some cases severe curvature of the spine, and further, it is a progressive disease.  The mother, siding with doctors at the hospital where the child is currently located, believes that it is in the best interest of the child to diconnect the respirator and allow the child to die, while the father believes the child should receive further treatment in the hope that it can lead some sort of life.

Lawyers for the hospital said in court today that the child's life is "miserable, sad and pitiful," and that his lungs continue to fill up with fluid every few hours -- giving him the sensation of choking -- and that doctors then must suction the fluid out causing the child additional pain.  So far the child has been taken off respirators three times.  The first time he was able to breathe on his own for 40 minutes, the second time for 30 minutes, and the third time for only 5 minutes.

Lawyers for the father however contest that the child can play and recognize his parents and plan to show videotape proving that he is aware of and responds to the world around himself.  According to The Mayo Clinic's Web site, "different forms of CMS vary widely in their symptoms, from mild to severely disabling. With accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapy, even potentially fatal forms can usually be treated successfully."

The case just got underway today and will most likely take some time to be decided.  So far an independent doctor has been asked to examine the child and determine if a tracheostomy would help the baby to breathe better.  His determination could be the catalyst for either side of the battle.

As I think about not only the precedent the decision in this case could set, (remember, this child is a year old, not a newborn) and about what these two parents, both of whom I believe are doing what they feel is best for their child, I wonder what I would do in this situation.  No doubt, their are thousands of parents who raise children with all forms of physical and mental disabilities and illnesses, despite the difficulties, the trials, and the hardships.  But I also cannot imagine the heartbreak of a parent having to watch their child suffer incredible pain their entire lives.  And then there's the issue of the parents themselves and their own motives.  Would my own selfish feelings or maybe even resentment of a life devoted so intensely to my child sway my decision?  Should it even be legal to euthanize your child, regardless of the physical or mental condition they are born with?  And who decides?  Doctors?  Parents only?  Both?  There are medical advancements everyday, who's to say the next one won't be the breakthrough needed to help your child?

Personally, I know a number of couples with children that require additional work and effort because of their physical and mental state.  Some of those children are older, in their thirties and forties and will always need to rely on their parents, some are my age, some are newborns.  Some are constantly in severe physical pain, and will be, barring a medical breakthrough, for their entire lives.  As I've watched those parents, their interactions with their children, and their children's interactions with them, I know neither one could imagine life without the other, and whatever extra trials they have had to endure, they rejoice in having their family.  I also am aware of a staggering number of children whose family life has only compounded their personal pain and struggles from diseases, illnesses, and physical and mental handicaps.

If it were your child, what would be the "right thing"?  What would be your motivations?  Mercy?  Perhaps selfishness masked as mercy?  Despite being stewards and guardians of our children, do we have the right to decide whether their life will be worth living?



1 Betzold, Michel,"Appointment with Doctor Death" Troy, MI: Momentum Books 1996
2 "News - - Gainesville.com". Gainesville.com