Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Baby Charlie deserves chance at life
When Barack Obama first ran for president, many cried that he would irreparably damage America were he to win. Four years later, the whining escalated to “America will cease to exist if Obama is re-elected.” Yet, last time we checked, America is still here, forging ahead.
Ditto for Donald Trump, as his detractors, sometimes violently, continue to both protest his election and look for ways to “impeach” him, solely because he holds a set of beliefs different than theirs.
Hyper-partisanship has become the new normal, with each side screaming that America will be destroyed should the other party win. Well, here’s a newsflash: America will not fall, nor will it ever cease being the beacon of hope to billions. Being a democratic Republic isn’t easy – you have to fight for it every day – but to truly know how special we are, it’s necessary to take a step back and look around at everyone else.
Nowhere has the gulf between America and the rest of the civilized world been more on display than in England. It is there that a medical death panel – with the full backing of the British government – has decreed that it’s time for Baby Charlie, an 11-month-old child afflicted with a rare genetic disorder, to die, ordering all life support to cease.
Baby Charlie’s fight for life, and the heavy-handed tactics of Big Brother, have created a global firestorm. Hopefully, time will not run out for Charlie before enough pressure is exerted on the British authorities to make them reverse course and allow an innocent infant to receive experimental treatments in the United States.
First, it’s the British government – not the people – that should be the object of people’s ire. True, a democratic government is ultimately the product of the people, but in real life, it doesn’t always work that way. Many English are as abhorred as the rest of the world at how Baby Charlie has been treated, and how the rights of his parents have been so cavalierly disregarded. Millions of Brits continue to pour out their hearts, prayers and yes, wallets, for Baby Charlie to get as many chances as necessary for life, no matter the odds.
From the beginning, Charlie’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, have tried every avenue to help their son. They vehemently opposed the hospital’s decision to pull the plug on life support, and battled in every court. But their input has been ignored, and their right to make decisions on behalf of their son has been stripped, as Charlie is now a ward of the state. The doctors are legally calling the shots, and because their decisions have been affirmed by the courts, Gard and Yates have been rendered powerless.
The parents made clear that they wanted to take Charlie to America for experimental treatments not available in Britain. And for good reason: Doctors here said they might be able to improve Charlie’s condition. Hospitals in the U.S. rolled out the welcome wagons, President Trump urged Britain to reconsider, and Pope Francis begged for the chance to have doctors – be they in the Vatican or America – give Charlie one last shot. And money and transportation were no object, as millions have been raised to facilitate the move.
But so far, all pleas have been rejected because a few doctors deemed Charlie’s “quality of life” too subpar.
The decision not to exhaust every possibility is so incomprehensible that it’s hard to see any explanation other than the doctors saving face.
But despite all the obstacles, it’s not over. At the 11th hour, an American doctor with extensive experience in genetic disorders has arrived in Britain to discuss options. If he can convince his colleagues that Charlie’s life could potentially be improved, we can only hope that common sense prevails and Charlie be afforded that opportunity. If not, pulling the plug now – and ignoring prospective treatments – is nothing less than an act of murder.
Seven years ago, Emma Whitehead was given a prognosis of death because doctors had run out of options in treating her leukemia. But now, seven years later, Emma is a thriving and cancer-free 13-year-old due to an experimental T-cell treatment. Thank God for her University of Pennsylvania doctors, thank God for that treatment, and thank God she lived in America. Because had she been British, the outcome likely would have been far different.