Heartless and immoral doctors won a "victory" yesterday, preserving the decision in a court case that allows them to refuse to resuscitate a 22-month old baby who has serious lung, brain and kidney damage.[1] Even though the baby has progressed further and is doing better than the doctors and judges thought possible, still the justices rules that the original judge's order stands. This further confirms the idea that doctors and the courts, and not the parents, have the final word in what happens to children. Increasingly, parents are being treated simply as unpaid care-takers, and not as parents. It is important to remember that parents, and not the courts, have the moral imperative to care for their children, and make decisions affecting their health and education. The courts should be stepping in only in the clearest cases where the parents have abdicated their responsibility, and then only with the greatest reluctance.
[1] BBC News. "Parents lose right-to-life appeal" BBC News World Edition (online) 2005-08-25 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/4181172.stm