Doctors: let us kill disabled babies - Sunday Times - Times Online

Doctors: let us kill disabled babies - Sunday Times - Times Online

It started with the demand to make the pill more freely available to women. Then women demanded the right to kill their unborn babies without facing murder charges; next came the cries in favour of voluntary euthanasia. Now, the doctors have begun the campaign to kill disabled babies.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology has put forward the proposal to kill via euthanasia seriously disabled newborn babies. It seems that they want to play God. This kind of decision making brings the U.K. closer and closer to following the eugenics of pre-war Germany.

The excuse for promoting the murder of disabled babies, is that of the emotional and financial hardship of bringing up the sickest babies. It seems that the doctors who are making this proposal have not heard of a sick baby having any form of quality of life.

In part they have stated:

“A very disabled child can mean a disabled family,” it says. “If life-shortening and deliberate interventions to kill infants were available, they might have an impact on obstetric decision-making, even preventing some late abortions, as some parents would be more confident about continuing a pregnancy and taking a risk on outcome.”

The submission that the college gave to the Nuffield Council of Bioethics states in part:

“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.”

The euthanasia of newborn infants is illegal in the U.K. However, as a result of this submission the college has succeeded in having euthanasia of the newborn to be considered. The college wants the "mercy" killing of newborn babies to be debated by society.

The problem with this proposal is that the doctors who have already been killing newborns that they see will not have a quality of life, have already stepped onto the slippery slope of evil. At the present time euthanasia of newborn infants is permitted in the Netherlands for a range of incurable disorders. However, where does one draw the line? Even if some of the illnesses are incurable at the present time, that does not mean that there will not be cures in the near future.

If the euthanasia of very sick newborn infants was permitted, then parents would face the inevitable pressure to kill their children, even if this is against their own moral and religious principles. We already see the way in which pressure is being placed upon very young girls to abort their babies. I am certain that similar pressures will be placed upon the already stressed parents.

There is nothing worse for expectant mothers and fathers than learning that their child has some form of illness. It is worse when the baby is alive right up until the time that he is due to be born, and then due to the incompetence of the medical staff, the baby fails to be born alive. (a member of my family lost her son as a result of the incompetence of the doctor where she had been booked to have her baby). How unbearable then, if a child is born with a weak heart, and the doctor then puts pressure on the parents to allow him or her to kill the child because of the financial cost of the care for the child. This is an alarming development.

I hope that the U.K. will have the good sense not to permit such an atrocity to happen. The U.K. needs to review its attitude regarding abortion on demand, because too many children are being killed in the womb. This proposal is untenable, and should be resisted by all potential parents.

Terri Schiavo's Former Husband Michael Campaigned for Losing Candidates

Terri Schiavo's Former Husband Michael Campaigned for Losing Candidates

Despite Michael Schiavo's bravado regarding his pledge to fight against all pro-life candidates in the elections who attempted to save Terri, the candidates who got his endorsement failed in the elections.
From Colorado to Florida, Schiavo's endorsement has been the kiss of death. It seems that at least in Colorado Schiavo's kiss of death has been good news for the pro-life campaign. Schiavo had attended a debate in late October, and he had hurled abuse at the pro-life candidate. She won the election.

Jim Davis had sought Michael Schiavo's endorsement in Florida for the role of governor. Charlie Crist was the successful candidate.

Michael Schiavo endorsed the extreme left candidate Ned Lamont. Joe Lieberman, who was one of the congressmen who voted to help the Schindlers, and who lost the Democrat's endorsement, has been returned to the Congress as an independent.

The good news here is that the pro-life candidates were successful and that means that the American Congress will continue to have a balance so that the Culture of Death that has been gaining in popularity amongst the extreme left wing of the USA will not be able to fully implement their policies. The bad news, of course, is that the Democrats have gained control of the Congress.