http://www.staradvertiser.com/2018/04/28/breaking-news/toddler-whose-parents-fought-to-maintain-life-support-dies/
No parent should have to suffer through their child dying. No loving parent wouldn't try to do everything they could if it meant their child might live. No parent should have to suffer through having their Government force them to let their child die.
I've seen what it's like for a life to be lost and nothing was going to change that. Those that live through that will grieve in their own way and ultimately, they come to terms with that in their own way. The parents of these children have been subjected to what amounts to mental abuse by their Government in that the grieving process has been interupted and forced upon them.
It's noted that one step in grief is "denial". By forcibly removing this step, the parents essentially are placed in perpetual grief, so to speak, by not being allowed to move past this step in their own way.
As I'm not as enlightened by the Government that thinks all of this is "right", I challenge them and those who agree to convince me, not through the "power" of the Government, but by actually convincing me.
I feel for the parents and I can only imagine what pain they felt seeing their child slowly disappear.
As I understand it, some countries have different ideas on how much suffering is worth if it saves a life. In America we sort of have the mentality that there is no limit to the amount of suffer, if there is a 1% chance that someone could live. Then there are also those who decide the pain isn't worth the fight and will choose a more peaceful death than face the struggle. When it comes to the sick person being an adult we tend to give more leeway to the individual, letting them decide whether they want to fight through for a small chance at living. Though ironically the so called death with dignity practice is not legal in a lot (most?) places in America.
When it comes to a child though, especially one at this age, we are faced with the question of what rights the parents have. Do the parents have the ultimate say or is there ever a time when an outside force should step in and say that the child is suffering too much. A parent who knows their child is going to die is facing so much emotion that their decision making process is likely going to be compromised. So when do we as a society decide that someone should step in?
I am not trying to say which one is the right decision here, only illustrate the great difficulty that exists in addressing this philosophical and moral question. To be the judge that has to decide the case must have been quite stressful.
Side note:
But if no parent should have to suffer their child dying because the government deemed it so then should no parent also suffer their child dying because insurance refused to cover it or by the inability to afford it? Ironically I see this as both an argument for socialized medicine as much as it is against it.