Child Euthenasia proposal in Britain

[Alex Moon]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 02,00.html

College urges euthanasia for sickest newborns
From correspondents in London
November 05, 2006
BRITAIN'S Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecology is reportedly calling on doctors to consider euthanasing "the sickest of newborns" which it says can disable healthy families.
The Sunday Times newspaper said today the proposal was in reaction to the number of such children who were surviving because of medical advances.

The college argued "active euthanasia" should be considered for the good of families, to spare parents the emotional burden and financial hardship of bringing up the sickest babies.

The proposal is contained in the college's submission to an inquiry into ethical issues raised by the policy of prolonging life in newborn babies.

Euthanasia of newborns is illegal in Britain.

"A very disabled child can mean a disabled family," the submission 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.

"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 newspaper reported that the college was not formally calling for active euthanasia to be introduced, but wanted the mercy killing of newborn babies to be debated by society.

In the Netherlands mercy killing was permitted for a range of incurable conditions, including severe spina bifida and the painful skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa, The Sunday Times said.

Dr Pieter Sauer, co-author of the Dutch national guidelines on euthanasia of newborns, told the paper British paediatricians were performing mercy killings and the practice should be open.

Joy Delhanty, professor of human genetics at University College London, told the paper she supported the proposal, declaring it was "morally wrong to strive to keep alive babies that are then going to suffer many months or years of ill health".

However, the British Council of Disabled People told the newspaper if euthanasia were introduced for certain conditions it would tell people with those conditions "they were worth less than other members of society".

The disturbing part for me is how it's the advance in medicine saving young children that somehow needs to be corrected.

[Broomstick]

I can't help but recall that "active euthanasia" was advocated for my husband at birth due to his spina bifida. Who decides what is and isn't "severe" or whether life is worth living? My biggest concern here is that it is far too easy for some of the able-bodied to dismiss a disabled life as a life not worth living.

And if they advocate it for the newborn... how soon until they start advocating it for adults who are diseased, injured, or just plain too old?

I realize that is a "slippery slope" type of argument, however, this is an instance where slopes have slipped in the past, from "hopeless" cases to the merely inconvenient.

[Zor]

Personally i thought we had advanced beyond the Ancient greeks. Some of those kids might be recover or latter medical procedures could correct deformaties.

Zor

[Stark]

Or they might NOT. Some kids are born with such deformities that they are doomed to a short, painful life - but during that life they can financially ruin their families. Obviously it's much better to screen mothers early in pregnancy, but they're just throwing the idea out there.

'Soothing the dying pillow' strikes me as a waste of medical resources, if nothing else.

[Isana Kadeb]

I agree with this proposal, kill the sick babies. We humans are getting too advanced for our own goods. All this advanced medical shit is seriously deteriorating our gene pool. Either its this or we'll need to implement some widespread genetic engineering in the near future to get rid of the garbage thats escaped the claws of natural selection.

[Surlethe]

I agree with this proposal, kill the sick babies. We humans are getting too advanced for our own goods. All this advanced medical shit is seriously deteriorating our gene pool. Either its this or we'll need to implement some widespread genetic engineering in the near future to get rid of the garbage thats escaped the claws of natural selection.

Are you joking, or are you actually an immoral asshole? Would you seriously prefer to return to a time when the life expectancy at birth was 25, and we didn't know better than to dump manure upriver from where we drew our drinking water?

[Shinova]

On the other hand, natural selection doesn't matter as much as it did before.

[Zor]

I agree with this proposal, kill the sick babies. We humans are getting too advanced for our own goods. All this advanced medical shit is seriously deteriorating our gene pool. Either its this or we'll need to implement some widespread genetic engineering in the near future to get rid of the garbage thats escaped the claws of natural selection.

The second option of Genetic Engineering is preferable, far more ethically sound and implementable.

Zor

[Isana Kadeb]

I agree with this proposal, kill the sick babies. We humans are getting too advanced for our own goods. All this advanced medical shit is seriously deteriorating our gene pool. Either its this or we'll need to implement some widespread genetic engineering in the near future to get rid of the garbage thats escaped the claws of natural selection.

Are you joking, or are you actually an immoral asshole? Would you seriously prefer to return to a time when the life expectancy at birth was 25, and we didn't know better than to dump manure upriver from where we drew our drinking water?

I've not even mentioned the amount of money and resources it takes to keep these terminally ill babies alive, do you want to fork the cost, rich boy? I don't know which part of the universe you live in, but here you can't just pull money out of your rectum. The worsening gene pool is also a serious problem for humanity, its either this or some serious genetic engineering. Since people are so averse to anything related to genetic engineering these days, its got to be euthanasia. And don't throw that morality shit at me you unscrupulous scallywag. This is for the benefit of the human race. I'm a consequentialist to my toenails.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

I agree with this proposal, kill the sick babies. We humans are getting too advanced for our own goods. All this advanced medical shit is seriously deteriorating our gene pool. Either its this or we'll need to implement some widespread genetic engineering in the near future to get rid of the garbage thats escaped the claws of natural selection.

Are you joking, or are you actually an immoral asshole? Would you seriously prefer to return to a time when the life expectancy at birth was 25, and we didn't know better than to dump manure upriver from where we drew our drinking water?

I've not even mentioned the amount of money and resources it takes to keep these terminally ill babies alive, do you want to fork the cost, rich boy? I don't know which part of the universe you live in, but here you can't just pull money out of your rectum. The worsening gene pool is also a serious problem for humanity, its either this or some serious genetic engineering. Since people are so averse to anything related to genetic engineering these days, its got to be euthanasia. And don't throw that morality shit at me you unscrupulous scallywag. This is for the benefit of the human race. I'm a consequentialist to my toenails.

Oddly enough, those words were similar to to what the Germans were saying in that HBO movie called Conspiracy...

[Darth Wong]

What the fuck does the gene pool have to do with this? Kids who are that severely disabled won't be breeding anyway, genius.

[Patrick Degan]

I agree with this proposal, kill the sick babies. We humans are getting too advanced for our own goods. All this advanced medical shit is seriously deteriorating our gene pool. Either its this or we'll need to implement some widespread genetic engineering in the near future to get rid of the garbage thats escaped the claws of natural selection.

Are you joking, or are you actually an immoral asshole? Would you seriously prefer to return to a time when the life expectancy at birth was 25, and we didn't know better than to dump manure upriver from where we drew our drinking water?

I've not even mentioned the amount of money and resources it takes to keep these terminally ill babies alive, do you want to fork the cost, rich boy? I don't know which part of the universe you live in, but here you can't just pull money out of your rectum. The worsening gene pool is also a serious problem for humanity, its either this or some serious genetic engineering. Since people are so averse to anything related to genetic engineering these days, its got to be euthanasia. And don't throw that morality shit at me you unscrupulous scallywag. This is for the benefit of the human race. I'm a consequentialist to my toenails.

Excuse me, but just where are you getting this "worsening gene pool" horseshit from?

[Spin Echo]

The worsening gene pool is also a serious problem for humanity, its either this or some serious genetic engineering.

Somehow I think the likelihood of these kids ever contributing to the genepool is slim to none, making your point moot.

Since people are so averse to anything related to genetic engineering these days, its got to be euthanasia.

And people aren't averse to euthanasia?

And don't throw that morality shit at me you unscrupulous scallywag. This is for the benefit of the human race. I'm a consequentialist to my toenails.

Yeah, and I'm sure sterilising poor people is also for the benefit of the human race.

[Isana Kadeb]

Oddly enough, those words were similar to to what the Germans were saying in that HBO movie called Conspiracy...

The only thing that proves is that you like watching trashy, cut-rate excrement.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Oddly enough, those words were similar to to what the Germans were saying in that HBO movie called Conspiracy...

The only thing that proves is that you like watching trashy, cut-rate excrement.

The Germans in question were discussing how best to deal with the Jews, Idiot.

[Zor]

Oddly enough, those words were similar to to what the Germans were saying in that HBO movie called Conspiracy...

The only thing that proves is that you like watching trashy, cut-rate excrement.

The Germans in question were discussing how best to deal with the Jews, Idiot.

The Nazis also did not take kindly to those who were disabled from birth. Can't have the Ayran Master Race befouled by the blind, the deaf and the autistic now.

Zor

[Isana Kadeb]

Somehow I think the likelihood of these kids ever contributing to the genepool is slim to none, making your point moot.

How do you know? Its fact, unpredented amounts of people with serious genetic disorders are now reproducing thanks to medical science.

And people aren't averse to euthanasia?

Its gaining acceptance isn't it, in some of the more enlightened areas of the world. Yet people are still bizzarely paranoid about eating genetically modified food, you think they're going to stand for genetically modified humans?

Yeah, and I'm sure sterilising poor people is also for the benefit of the human race.

Who said anything about sterilising poor people, you deceitful cretin.

[Isana Kadeb]

Oddly enough, those words were similar to to what the Germans were saying in that HBO movie called Conspiracy...

The only thing that proves is that you like watching trashy, cut-rate excrement.

The Germans in question were discussing how best to deal with the Jews, Idiot.

Sure, exterminating one the most intellectually endowed groups within the human race sure make solid sense. I suggest you go back to shovelling that manure.

[FSTargetDrone]

This is a difficult issue. The only cases I could think of this possibly being used morally is with people who are born with profound mental retardation, but even then I have serious concerns.

[Patrick Degan]

The only thing that proves is that you like watching trashy, cut-rate excrement.

The Germans in question were discussing how best to deal with the Jews, Idiot.

Sure, exterminating one the most intellectually endowed groups within the human race sure make solid sense. I suggest you go back to shovelling that manure.

Except that's exactly what the Nazis tried to do, shitwit.

[Surlethe]

I've not even mentioned the amount of money and resources it takes to keep these terminally ill babies alive, do you want to fork the cost, rich boy? I don't know which part of the universe you live in, but here you can't just pull money out of your rectum.

Oh, I see how your brain works, you wart. You're too selfish to suffer these children's existence.

The worsening gene pool is also a serious problem for humanity, its either this or some serious genetic engineering.

Care to back this up?

Since people are so averse to anything related to genetic engineering these days, its got to be euthanasia.

By your logic, since the increasing segment of stupid Americans is a serious problem for America, and people are rather averse to fixing the educational system, I'm justified in killing you.

Oh, wait.

And don't throw that morality shit at me you unscrupulous scallywag. This is for the benefit of the human race. I'm a consequentialist to my toenails.

Morality shit? In other words, you just admitted that your reaction is entirely subjective and has no ethical basis whatsoever. Thank you for shooting yourself in the foot.

[Surlethe]

Yeah, and I'm sure sterilising poor people is also for the benefit of the human race.

Who said anything about sterilising poor people, you deceitful cretin.

It's a direct consequence of your argument, limpdick. Are you honestly too goddamned stupid to realize that?

[Isana Kadeb]

Excuse me, but just where are you getting this "worsening gene pool" horseshit from?

Where do you think the supply of stupid people comes from, the ones you love to mock?

[Patrick Degan]

Excuse me, but just where are you getting this "worsening gene pool" horseshit from?

Where do you think the supply of stupid people comes from, the ones you love to mock?

Lack of education has nothing to do with genetics. It has everything to do with idiocy, however, as you seem determined to demonstrate, Mr. Kadeb.

[FSTargetDrone]

I've not even mentioned the amount of money and resources it takes to keep these terminally ill babies alive, do you want to fork the cost, rich boy? I don't know which part of the universe you live in, but here you can't just pull money out of your rectum.

Oh, I see how your brain works, you wart. You're too selfish to suffer these children's existence.

I'd love to see Isana Kadeb's hard numbers showing that care for disabled people is a serious drain on resources, moreso than say, lung cancer, heart disease, AIDS, etc...