Taking Mercy
Should Canadian laws change to allow parents to decide to euthanize a child who is living in pain that cannot be alleviated, or whose life is being sustained by life support, such as a feeding tube? Join reporter and live blog host Jennifer Tryon, producers and moderators, Hannah James and Megan Rowney with guests Robert Latimer, Annette Corriveau and ethicist, Robert Schafer to discuss this topic on Friday, March 16 at 7pm EDT.
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My motivation behind going public with this controversial issue is to hope that one day, Legislation will be passed which will allow either a Parent or Guardian, to be able to approach a panel of professionals, appointed by the Government, i.e. Doctor, Lawyer, Psychologist, lay people etc. (like a jury) to review all the information Medical, Ethical and the Legalities involved to help make an informed decision based on that information "for or against" Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide. Hopefully we will see this enormous step being taken in our lifetime! -
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I have followed Roberts case from the very beginning, and always felt he did the right thing for him and HIS family. No one has the right to judge especially not the law. He did what any loving father would want for a child in pain with no way out. I hope and pray that his convicton is someday overturned not only for him, but for anyone that finds themselves in the same situation.As parents all we want is for our children not to suffer at ant cost.
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I am a sanfillipo parent as well with only 1 affected of nearly 17 yrs old. I'd like to hear more from the family, as we too feel that when the time comes we would like to be able to say and how. We don't want long suffering when quality of life is gone. -
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As the father of a young man with a syndrome that presents similar and equally severe challenges, it bothers me a lot that this seems to assume the quality of individuals' lives can be judged by their disability or medical condition. It is mostly a product of how they are treated. Whether Mr. Latimer or Ms. Corriveau think their children's lives are worthwhile is in the eye of the beholder. Please consider showing the other side of this, I can point you toward many examples of children and adults with very severe disabilities enjoying great lives and many wholly able individuals who are miserable. Giving a parent the right to kill their disabled children without giving parents the right to kill any of their other children is the worst form of discrimination. -
suggestion: when a patient is in an irreversible vegetative state then nothing one does can either help or harm them. Prolonging "life" for a vegetative or near vegetative patient is prolonging human biological life when there is no possibility of human personal life. There doesn't seem to be much point in that and it requires that health care providers devote their efforts to a cause which is futile - when there are so many others who could actually benefit from care.
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Dick Sobsey, thanks for the comment, i think a lot of people with kids with disabilities would have a hard time hearing this. In interviewing Annette, i know something that was important to her was law makers, doctors etc all getting together to really define quality of life, because i think she'd agree many people with all abilities can have great lives. Annette....what do you think?
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Sanfilipo children lose all congitive ability abd brain function before the body becomes severe, most will regres menatlly between 2 -5 yrs and if they live to the teen years and beyond, they usually have feeding tube, and if they under anesthesia in their teens, most will end up with a trach due to airway collapse. Many lose vision, hearing is usually impaired or gone and mobilty and bone degeneration are a given. The pain our kids endure is awful and cognitively they can't understand it.
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I think it is very sad that people think they have the right to decide for others what their quality of life is. As an Autistic adult who has seen far, far too many Autistic and people with other disabilities either murdered by their parents or caregivers, or not given medical treatment that could have improved their quality of life, or given them life, I am rather appalled that Canada would even consider this.
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It's worth remembering that in the case of Tracy Latimer, she was suffering continuously in the last year of her life, with acute pain in her future from proposed surgery without the possibility of effective anaesthesia. The doctors ought to have given the family the option of proper pain control even if that would interfere with her anti-seizure medication and hasten her death. It's legal in Canada to give adequate pain-control even when it hastens death.
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Sorry sent too soon, but with what I was saying, it was no life for them to die in such agony. From that I understood why can't we help them end their life sooner rather than letting them suffer. So with that I understand and see why there is a need for these kinds of things -
As far as I'm concerned, each person with a disability is different - each and every one of them. And each one of those people's quality of life is different - some of them could be "not worth living" in our eyes - BUT we are NOT those people and it shouldn't be up to US to decide their fate - it's up to us to make the most of thier lives - improve thier qualilty of live!
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Our government needs to make it law that anyone who chooses for what ever reason, may choose for themselves, euthanasia. When it comes to others, as in this story, two teenagers who live from a tube feeding, is wrong to let them continue. Where someone else must make the decisions when the patient can't, they need this option too. Why would anyone want to continue living when they have no quality of life and need 24/365 assistance. Health Care costs are sky rocking and costs expected to increase rapidly, I think this law needs to be introduced and passed. Those against this option, never have to use it. It is like Sunday shopping issue, those who were against are those first now at the stores! We want this and we need this.
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When a parent murders their typical child, they are vilified by the media and the public sympathizes with the victim. When a parent murders their disabled child, the media paints them as martyrs and the public sympathizes with the murderer. Disabled lives are worth living. Nothing is an excuse for murder!
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for me when mental awareness is gone, body is in pain and not managed well. (drugs do not work well for most of these kids, and I'm am connceted all around the world, the side effects of these drugs happen worse than many of the symptoms they are designed to prevent) You can see in his eyes when he is not well. When he cannot return to us with smiling eyes, and his feeding is dwindling with loss of weight which we battle now due to liver and pancreatic issues. then it's time to let him go. (My son is not at this point yet, but we battle keeping him from getting there everyday.
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This is a topic near to my heart. How dare anyone else make a decision for me! If I make it known to all close to me that I do not want to be kept alive and absolve all medical staff of responsibility, it is my life and mye choice. Again,institutions take choices away from individuals. Think of it this way - I save Health Care $$$! And alleviate my suffering. Win Win for all!
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As a Canadian who has severe disabilities, and who is currently being “kept alive” by a feeding-tube, (AND who is a PhD working in the field of Disability Ethics, by the way) I am deeply troubled by the way this “panel” has been set up. All of the panelists share the same pro-euthanasia views. This is not a panel; it’s proselytizing! And, by it’s very nature, it is undermining the value of the lives of Canadians with disabilities, INCLUDING MINE! If Global were truly concerned with journalistic balance in covering this issue, it would have included someone speaking from a disability ethics perspective on this panel. -
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what kind of a life is this? Where' s the dignity in these poor peoples lives? I would surely bet that the people who are insistant that these people be kept alive in this state would be utterly disgusted if this were to happen to a member of their family or themselves, that they would have to be kept alive in this state. The feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that these parents must feel cannot be very good for their own mental or physical health. Any decision about the affected persons mortality should be the soul decision of the parents.
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I am a compassionate parent and my heart weeps for these parents and other parents that are in these situations. Laws were made to protect and defend us. They were passed and they can be amended. How much pain do they have to go through for law makers and the legal system to realize this? This does not mean all situations would be included in these types of "judgements" to allow legal euthanasia, however, case by case, with doctor's impartial professional diagnosis, hospital administrator's, lawyers, families etc., they should have the ability to make an informed decision as to whether or not legal euthanasia be considered. I'm sorry, I am not able to watch the entire show, it really hits deeply to see children and their families suffer like this. -
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