A Tough One!

Whew! This is a hard one for me - but ONLY because there is a baby involved. And only the family knows truly what is the best for all involved. And only the family should have the final say.

I don't believe in mercy killings, but I do believe that if one's life - and I use that word life loosely - is being maintained by machines only and the partially brain-dead, gurgling on one's on lung fluid build up, totally unresponsive existence is the best is ever going to be, then I am in total support of disconnecting the machines. I can say this because I've been there three times - with a grandfather and with two beloved aunts. It was inhumane - keeping a body on life support that was already decomposing. If you haven't been there - I must tell you - it will unnerve you.

I'm paraphrasing one of the comments made on that link - "We don't want to allow for abortions or euthanasia because we feel that's playing God - but we will force a person against their expressed wishes to be hooked to machines that live FOR them - is that not also playing God?"

I can't say if they should unplug the machines. I don't know the viability of that baby.

But here's what I can say with assurance. The government of Texas or any other government for that matter has no business overriding the wishes of that woman who has one leg in this world and one in the next world. And they have no business overriding the wishes of the family. If the baby is born with defects, I have no qualms with that - SOMEONE would take that baby and care for it. This isn't about dismissing a "damaged" baby to me.

Laws against aborting viable babies from healthy mothers? I'm all for that and wish that every government in the land upheld the sanctity of life.

But this case .... it's not the same. And the government has gone from upholding the sanctity of life to intruding into the right to privacy and has ripped the right to grieve away from this family.

And ... in this case - the sanctity of life really isn't being upheld.

 

Since I would willingly give my life for my unborn child, my family knows this is a no-brainer. Keep my body alive long enough to give the child any chance at life that he/she can have. God created him/her. It is not our place to murder them unless there is no other choice. In this case, there IS another choice.

 

I agree with everything you've said. 100%.

My only problem with the article is that I have reservations about the government taking away the right to make that decision for oneself when one has requested no life support and the family wishes to uphold those wishes.

Who has the greater authority over this woman's body and her wishes to not be on life support?

Her family or the government?

In a perfect world, the family would allow the baby to have a fighting chance at survival and the government would step aside.

But the family has chosen to uphold the woman's DNR wish. If the government can override that - what else can they override?

I pray the baby makes it and that disabled or not, someone will love the baby and care for him or her. I also pray that Texas take another look at the rigidity of that law.

 

See, the issue to me is that yes, the mother wishes to not be on life support - but did she state that once pregnant? Because you are not just dealing with one life but two. As pro-life people, we state that there are TWO people involved and it's not just the mother's body. While the mother has certain wishes, I believe all bets are off once another life is involved as well. Until that other life is either gone or saved, the mother's life is vitally important.

 

I agree that the baby is the overarching consideration.

 

I'm so sorry Tom. While we've not personally had this happen in our family, we stood beside parents who are dear friends of ours when they were struggling with the same decision for their 18 year old son. He fell skateboarding and hit his head so hard that "his brain is not where it should be". They actually declared him brain dead when he came in the ER and signed his death certificate but it took 5 days for the family to make the final decision. It was further complicated by grandparents who felt he would be healed - when it was obvious there was no chance of recovery. It is the most heart wrenching decision - oh my, was it ever!!

I'm so sorry for your loss.