Sanctity of Life

Terri Shiavo languished just a little over a year ago, starved to death by her "husband's" command. I still can't believe it was allowed to happen. The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation has some recent updates if you're interested.


It's easy to think Terri's was an isolated case; an anomoly. But, look at this article from the Denver Post. A disabled child who lived in my area was starved to death last year. His parents live in the same suburb as I do. The pastor mentioned in the article is on the staff at a church just 6 minutes away from my house. And our society is becoming alarmingly callous to this sort of thing. Several people wrote letters to the editor after the story ran, about how difficult a decision this was for the parents of the boy, how loving they were, and how sensitive the article was. How can knowingly starving your child to death be considered loving or sensitive?

The lengthy article is chilling in its bias towards the parents, mentioning their heroism and love for their son. The parents and the newspaper decided ahead of time not to publish the story until the boy died, so the general public knew nothing of this drama unfolding in our midst. Here is just a snippet of the article:

In a small examination room, the parents laid out their wish to end their son's suffering. The two ethics consultants, a doctor and a nurse, asked if they'd explored all known medical avenues. The neurologist explained the futility of treatment. The pediatrician described Dave and Kerri's commitment to their son as heroic.

Satisfied, the ethics committee members concurred that the hospital could support removal of life support - in this case food - as an ethical option.

According to the article, the four year old boy was severely disabled with Cerebral Palsy, and his condition was worsening. The "life support" that was removed was his feeding tube. He was starved to death! Any human being on earth would die if this type of "life support" were denied us! I have a younger brother with moderate Cerebral Palsy. He lives with frustrating physical challenges on a daily basis. But he is no less a person. He was created by God, just as was I. Removing food from a disabled person is barbaric. Removing food from anyone is barbaric.