On Charlie Gard and Parental Rights **updated**
I just read the most heartbreaking, and the most infuriating article that I think I've ever seen. And trust me, there's been a stink-load of them. I mean, seriously, the US does not have the patent apparently, on the crazy news.
In case you missed it, although I'm not sure how, Charlie Gard's parents have given up. They believe they have missed the window of opportunity to try to get him treatment because his CT scans have shown grave degradation in his brain matter. The time has passed where they could even begin to think there would be any improvement whatsoever.
That said... the article that I just read had a paragraph that infuriated the tar out of me:
"In a piece for The Guardian entitled “Despite Charlie Gard’s Tragic Story, We Must Respect The Process Of Our Courts,” UCL health professor, Ian Kennedy, expressed sympathy for the plight of Charlie, but ultimately justified it on the basis that “children do not belong to their parents.”
…As a society, we must choose how to decide such heartbreaking cases. Of course each child is different, but do we accept that there should be principles and rules, whatever the circumstances, that guide us as we try to work out what’s best?"
I beg your pardon??? Since when does the government know what's best for your child? When? I realize this is the UK, but think about this, folks...that's socialized medicine. This is what is being dangled like a carrot in front of your nose..."Oh, everyone is treated the same. You won't have the mess that we do now...ad nauseum..."
This makes me sick to my stomach. If we had socialized medicine, say back in 1983, I wouldn't have my Mouse, I'm sure of it. The hospital would have agreed with the pediatrician who suggested that we put her away in a home and forget about her. That she would never walk, talk, or do for herself. Anyone who knows her knows that she is very capable of doing all three, talking is her favorite. If we had gotten past that, then when she had her open heart surgery and we almost lost her, would there have been a stat call for the surgeon to attend to her? I'm betting not. Why, you ask? Because she has Down Syndrome.
That's what socialized medicine does...that's what the government wants to do...take your rights as a parent from you. They want absolute control of how the child is brought up. Yeah...over my dead body.
My kids are my kids. I didn't walk around for 40 weeks, puking my guts out for the first trimester...withstanding such intense pain during labor and delivery and at one point, having my life in danger for the government to swoop in, pat me on the head and tell me, "Good girl! Thanks for taking one for the team!" and taking my kids away. Heck no!
My Grandkids are my Grandkids. The same applies here, except my daughter was in my place. Yeah, this is ridiculous!!
I will tell you this, I will fight tooth and nail against socialized medicine. I have fought the school districts on how my child is educated...I have fought against teaching the test, and while I didn't win the battle on the test one, I did win the skirmish, and I won't allow the government to think they know more than I do. And I know there are others out there, just like me, who would be more than happy to join the fight.
Please people, open the cubby hole where you keep your common sense and install it. Open your eyes to what is happening not only across the ocean in other countries, but what is creeping into our society right now. Some years back, we had a First Lady proclaim that it takes a village to raise a child. I disagreed then and I disagree now. It takes parents, two of them, and grandparents, or other relatives...men and women who step up when there are absences of parents...churches, to raise a child to be happy, healthy and productive. Not the government who knows nothing about the child. It takes the people who love him or her the most to take on the challenges that each child presents, and to help them through the challenges that each faces, not a face-less, nameless government who only want automatons, serfs and slaves.
Ladies and gentlemen...be alarmed at what happened to Charlie Gard's parents. Be angry...be righteously angry, and do something. We can start by taking back our children and teaching them the proper way to go. We can teach them respect. We can teach them that they're not always going to win, but sometimes they'll lose, and that's okay. Just because they didn't win a trophy this time, doesn't mean it won't happen in the future with practice, persistence and hard work. We can teach them about authority, and how it is necessary. We can teach them history, our own personal histories as well as that of this Great Country. We can teach them to imagine, to explore and to wonder. We can teach them that they can touch the stars, and that God is real.
Yes, be alarmed, but be ready to fight for your rights as parents. If we shrug it off and say, "Meh...it won't happen here in the US..." one day we will see that it did indeed happen here because of complacence. Because we figured someone else would take care of it. The time is now to know where your representatives in Washington stand. The time is now to decide how you're going to address the issue, if at all.
My children are my children. Until I have totally lost my senses, I am able to make decisions for Mouse for her benefit, for her health and well being. I don't need anyone I've elected tell me what to do for her. When I no longer have the ability to make those decisions, I have someone I have chosen to take my place... her sister, and if you think I'm cranky about this...try her. She might be small in stature, but she packs a mean "punch," she will no more allow someone to dictate Mouse's care than I would.
Bottom line here is this. If this situation with Charlie Gard's parents upsets you, then good. It needs to. It needs to to the point of righteous indignation and the vow to yourself that the Government, our Government, will never get to that point. That they will never dictate the welfare of a child with two sane, present parents (or even one), or guardian appointed by the parent or court (read: foster or abandoned children). Do not let our health care system get to this point. Make noise with your Representatives in Washington. Write to the President. Do what you can to nip this nonsense in the bud.
My children are precious to me. So is my freedom. How about you?
Be blessed my friends.
**update** It has since come to my attention that Texas has, since 1999, what is called an "ethics committee." In effect, it is a panel of doctors and administrators who meet, along with family members of the patient in question, to discuss withdrawal of medical care. In this meeting, the family members are not allowed to speak, but instead of hearing ways that care can continue, they are hearing the reasons to discontinue care, period. Again, they are not allowed to interject, which to me is a cruel thing to do. If you are invited to an ethics committee meeting to discuss the further care, or ending of further care of your loved one, wouldn't you want to contribute?
That aside, there are legal loopholes to this. Texas Right to Life is a very active firm engaged to fight for the patient and their rights to die on their time, not the say of people who get together to decide to not continue care.
I understand the need to withdraw care that is not helping. I understand that there are other patients that need the beds. I get that. But part of this law that George W. Bush signed, and became law in 1999, allows that a patient's family have 7 days to transfer them to another hospital that will continue care.
I am sure there are other loopholes in the law that is for the patient in question's benefit, but for the most part, the law allows doctors and hospitals to end treatment for a critically or terminally ill patient.
I will leave the rest to your further research. Sadly, we have the beginnings of what the UK has in socialized medicine...the rights of parents and patients who are critically or terminally ill have very little say if an ethics committee is convened in Texas.
In case you missed it, although I'm not sure how, Charlie Gard's parents have given up. They believe they have missed the window of opportunity to try to get him treatment because his CT scans have shown grave degradation in his brain matter. The time has passed where they could even begin to think there would be any improvement whatsoever.
That said... the article that I just read had a paragraph that infuriated the tar out of me:
"In a piece for The Guardian entitled “Despite Charlie Gard’s Tragic Story, We Must Respect The Process Of Our Courts,” UCL health professor, Ian Kennedy, expressed sympathy for the plight of Charlie, but ultimately justified it on the basis that “children do not belong to their parents.”
…As a society, we must choose how to decide such heartbreaking cases. Of course each child is different, but do we accept that there should be principles and rules, whatever the circumstances, that guide us as we try to work out what’s best?"
I beg your pardon??? Since when does the government know what's best for your child? When? I realize this is the UK, but think about this, folks...that's socialized medicine. This is what is being dangled like a carrot in front of your nose..."Oh, everyone is treated the same. You won't have the mess that we do now...ad nauseum..."
This makes me sick to my stomach. If we had socialized medicine, say back in 1983, I wouldn't have my Mouse, I'm sure of it. The hospital would have agreed with the pediatrician who suggested that we put her away in a home and forget about her. That she would never walk, talk, or do for herself. Anyone who knows her knows that she is very capable of doing all three, talking is her favorite. If we had gotten past that, then when she had her open heart surgery and we almost lost her, would there have been a stat call for the surgeon to attend to her? I'm betting not. Why, you ask? Because she has Down Syndrome.
That's what socialized medicine does...that's what the government wants to do...take your rights as a parent from you. They want absolute control of how the child is brought up. Yeah...over my dead body.
My kids are my kids. I didn't walk around for 40 weeks, puking my guts out for the first trimester...withstanding such intense pain during labor and delivery and at one point, having my life in danger for the government to swoop in, pat me on the head and tell me, "Good girl! Thanks for taking one for the team!" and taking my kids away. Heck no!
My Grandkids are my Grandkids. The same applies here, except my daughter was in my place. Yeah, this is ridiculous!!
I will tell you this, I will fight tooth and nail against socialized medicine. I have fought the school districts on how my child is educated...I have fought against teaching the test, and while I didn't win the battle on the test one, I did win the skirmish, and I won't allow the government to think they know more than I do. And I know there are others out there, just like me, who would be more than happy to join the fight.
Please people, open the cubby hole where you keep your common sense and install it. Open your eyes to what is happening not only across the ocean in other countries, but what is creeping into our society right now. Some years back, we had a First Lady proclaim that it takes a village to raise a child. I disagreed then and I disagree now. It takes parents, two of them, and grandparents, or other relatives...men and women who step up when there are absences of parents...churches, to raise a child to be happy, healthy and productive. Not the government who knows nothing about the child. It takes the people who love him or her the most to take on the challenges that each child presents, and to help them through the challenges that each faces, not a face-less, nameless government who only want automatons, serfs and slaves.
Ladies and gentlemen...be alarmed at what happened to Charlie Gard's parents. Be angry...be righteously angry, and do something. We can start by taking back our children and teaching them the proper way to go. We can teach them respect. We can teach them that they're not always going to win, but sometimes they'll lose, and that's okay. Just because they didn't win a trophy this time, doesn't mean it won't happen in the future with practice, persistence and hard work. We can teach them about authority, and how it is necessary. We can teach them history, our own personal histories as well as that of this Great Country. We can teach them to imagine, to explore and to wonder. We can teach them that they can touch the stars, and that God is real.
Yes, be alarmed, but be ready to fight for your rights as parents. If we shrug it off and say, "Meh...it won't happen here in the US..." one day we will see that it did indeed happen here because of complacence. Because we figured someone else would take care of it. The time is now to know where your representatives in Washington stand. The time is now to decide how you're going to address the issue, if at all.
My children are my children. Until I have totally lost my senses, I am able to make decisions for Mouse for her benefit, for her health and well being. I don't need anyone I've elected tell me what to do for her. When I no longer have the ability to make those decisions, I have someone I have chosen to take my place... her sister, and if you think I'm cranky about this...try her. She might be small in stature, but she packs a mean "punch," she will no more allow someone to dictate Mouse's care than I would.
Bottom line here is this. If this situation with Charlie Gard's parents upsets you, then good. It needs to. It needs to to the point of righteous indignation and the vow to yourself that the Government, our Government, will never get to that point. That they will never dictate the welfare of a child with two sane, present parents (or even one), or guardian appointed by the parent or court (read: foster or abandoned children). Do not let our health care system get to this point. Make noise with your Representatives in Washington. Write to the President. Do what you can to nip this nonsense in the bud.
My children are precious to me. So is my freedom. How about you?
Be blessed my friends.
**update** It has since come to my attention that Texas has, since 1999, what is called an "ethics committee." In effect, it is a panel of doctors and administrators who meet, along with family members of the patient in question, to discuss withdrawal of medical care. In this meeting, the family members are not allowed to speak, but instead of hearing ways that care can continue, they are hearing the reasons to discontinue care, period. Again, they are not allowed to interject, which to me is a cruel thing to do. If you are invited to an ethics committee meeting to discuss the further care, or ending of further care of your loved one, wouldn't you want to contribute?
That aside, there are legal loopholes to this. Texas Right to Life is a very active firm engaged to fight for the patient and their rights to die on their time, not the say of people who get together to decide to not continue care.
I understand the need to withdraw care that is not helping. I understand that there are other patients that need the beds. I get that. But part of this law that George W. Bush signed, and became law in 1999, allows that a patient's family have 7 days to transfer them to another hospital that will continue care.
I am sure there are other loopholes in the law that is for the patient in question's benefit, but for the most part, the law allows doctors and hospitals to end treatment for a critically or terminally ill patient.
I will leave the rest to your further research. Sadly, we have the beginnings of what the UK has in socialized medicine...the rights of parents and patients who are critically or terminally ill have very little say if an ethics committee is convened in Texas.
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