Even while the Terri Schiavo affair was still front page news, My friend Jon (The Night Writer) was following the story of 11-month old
Charlotte Wyatt, a handicapped child whose parents were fighting to keep alive despite the government's attention to pull the plug. Well, Jon today notes
that the government has
won over the wishes of Charlotte's parents in their decision to place a mandatory "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) order on Charlotte. It appears to have been an economic decision, in a system where the pragmatics demanded of socialized medicine have served to override a child's right to live. Jon has a very insightful followup story regarding this matter
here, and Doug from Bogus Gold also displays some great insights
here. As I commented on Doug's blog:
"This is what happens when you value the sanctity of human life only by the subjective barometer of perceived functionality.
I still harken back to the 1950s Twilight Zone episode, when it comes time for the librarian to die, the government proclaims: YOU ARE OBSOLETE!
While it was probably viewed as fanciful by the Twighlight Zone viewers at that time, they probably had no idea exactly how prescient it was."
(Filed under defense of life)
Even while the Terri Schiavo affair was still front page news, My friend Jon (The Night Writer) was following the story of 11-month old Charlotte Wyatt, a handicapped child whose parents were fighting to keep alive despite the government's attention to pull the plug. Well, Jon today notes that the government has won over the wishes of Charlotte's parents in their decision to place a mandatory "Do Not Resuscitate" (DNR) order on Charlotte. It appears to have been an economic decision, in a system where the pragmatics demanded of socialized medicine have served to override a child's right to live. Jon has a very insightful followup story regarding this matter here, and Doug from Bogus Gold also displays some great insights here. As I commented on Doug's blog:
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