To live or not to live is the question
- Source: Global Times
- [01:30 February 08 2010]
- Comments
By Li Yanjie
A Tianjin couple's decision to stop medical treatment for their newborn daughter suffering from fatal birth defects and let her die peacefully has triggered a major controversy.
Those blaming the parents hold that everyone has the right to live, and even parents don't have the right to decide the fate of their babies.
Others, supporting the father's decision, contend that it's inhuman to sustain the girl's life, since, the baby would be abnormal and in need of lifelong treatment, which would be a torment for the child as well as the family. They say survival of the fittest is a natural law and it must be observed.
Whether to keep alive babies with a congenital condition is a much-debated issue in China and abroad.
Statistics show that of China's nearly 1 million born with defects, 30 percent died at birth, 40 percent suffered lifelong disability, and only 30 percent could be cured.
Six percent of newborns in the world have serious birth defects and nearly half of them die before the age of five. Every year, babies born with defects cause a loss of 1 billion yuan ($146 million); and, treatment and care of surviving babies will cost 30 billion.
These figures surely constitute a rational case for not prolonging the life of disabled babies. It's natural that some will criticize the rational case as inhuman.
But, to let them survive won't lead to idealistic results. The Beijing News once reported two murder cases: In 1996 two couples in Fengxiang county of Shaanxi Province exchanged their disabled sons and killed them, because the disabled offspring couldn't take care of themselves and often beat their families and neighbors, causing great agony and suffering.
Another example is a British girl Charlotte Wyatt. She was born three months prematurely and has serious heart and lung problems. She needs a constant supply of oxygen and has never left the hospital. At first, doctors suggested that her parents give up. But the couple refused and sued the doctors, and a court asked the doctors to continue treatment. However, three years later, the couple was bitterly divided over the pressure.
It's a war between reason and sentiment, and the war isn't over. As of now, only Holland permits euthanasia for babies under certain conditions, and other countries have criticized this practice.
Who should have the final say? In my opinion, it is the law. Neither hospitals nor parents should have the right to decide on the life of a disabled baby, as the right may be abused. A legal agreement on the issue can make way for a rule to be observed by all concerned.
True, the law can't solve every problem, but the law offers a standard for solving problems. However, legislation in this field though urgent is not easy.
