The news story from the United Kingdom-based Daily Mail Online was horrifying. The headline says it all: Now sick babies go on death pathway: Doctor’s haunting testimony reveals how children are put on end-of-life plan. (I’m sorry I don’t feel I can link to the story given the other ‘content’ on the site).
I tried to find the article from the British Medical Journal that prompted the Daily Mail article, but it isn’t available online. The comments are, however, including one from Dr. Laura de Rooy, consulting neonatologist at St. George’s hospital who was also quoted in the Mail Online article.
First, her quote from the Mail Online article:
In a response to the article, Dr Laura de Rooy, a consultant neonatologist at St George’s Hospital NHS Trust in London writing on the BMJ website, said: ‘It is a huge supposition to think they do not feel hunger or thirst.’
This is her actual response to the original British Medical Journal article. Emphases in bold are mine:
I read with interest the recent BMJ article entitled: ‘How it feels to withdraw feeding from a newborn baby.’ Although I appreciate that this is an interesting and poignant reflection, I do not believe that the piece represents current practice in the UK, or aligns the case to current UK guidance.
The article references the American and Canadian guidance on the subject, which indeed suggests that it may be ethically appropriate to withdraw feed and fluids under certain carefully delineated conditions. It is interesting to note that the research underpinning this guidance mostly relates to adults, and refers to a lack of hunger and thirst in those who are approaching death. It would be extremely difficult to assume that babies who are facing death because of congenital abnormalities are similar to cachectic adults dying from cancer. It is a huge supposition to think that such infants do not feel hunger, or thirst.
If Dr. de Rooy is correct, then it is not standard practice in the UK. We have no way to corroborate the assertion by the anonymous doctor that he has overseen the death of 10 children. I also have no doubt that some doctors in the UK are practicing illegal euthanasia on disabled and sick children in the UK. And even if it is ‘only’ one child, it must be exposed.
But it was the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics that had this statement in 2009 about American hospitals (emphasis in bold is mine):
Decisions to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment from critically or terminally ill children are commonly made in US and Canadian hospitals.
Diekema DS, Botkin JR. Committee on Bioethics. Clinical report- foregoing medically provided nutrition and hydration in children. Pediatrics 2009;124:813-22.
To be fair, the article from Pediatrics is focusing on fairly narrow categories of disability and not all critically or terminally ill children. But that decisions ‘are commonly made’ is still troubling.
Many of the comments I’ve read on the Daily Mail Online article are predicting this is what will happen to healthcare in the United States under what is known as Obamacare.
Unfortunately, I think it is just as likely that we’re emulating what happened after World War II. As a country we condemned the horrible eugenic policies of Nazi Germany that resulted in the Holocaust, and neglected to note that the Nazis were taking their ideology and practices from the United States. This time, let us link arms with our brothers and sisters in the pro-life movement in the UK to condemn such practices here and there.
The Works of God 
This is just so appalling. Our daughter, Karis Almy, was diagnosed with a “terminal” disease (aren’t we all terminal?) called Krabbe when she was 5 months old. We were told she had about 6 months to live. Our family and friends have pled with The Lord daily to glorify Himself through Karis’ healing. Karis will be 3 1/2 years old December 29th. He has blessed and sustained her little life and has used a small child who cannot speak and barely moves to advance His kingdom. Of course she has endured suffering, but suffering is a part of life. Any pain she experiences is managed immediately. Karis is a very happy little girl who knows love and most importantly knows the One who knit her together exactly the way she is. It makes me ill to think that someone would allow a child like Karis to starve to death because of a diagnosis. (Luke 1:37) We will pray fervently for the hearts of those making these decision to recognize the overwhelming value and gift of every life.
Thoughtful post on a frightenidng subject!!!
Heartbreaking ~ Wonderful blog.
[…] « The evil is already here and not just over there […]
I am a Doctor in the UK. I am also passionately in love with Jesus.
The Daily Mail articles on this subject have been one sided and inaccurate. I have worked with this so-called death pathway for the last few years. It is not at all designed to remove “difficult” patients or to starve patients we no longer feel are worthy of life.
Patients unfortunately die in hospital. We know that the last enemy to be defeated is death. A horror I have witnessed all too often is a patient dying with repeated painful tests, pushing their bodies to the limit in vain hope of a cure when actually they are slipping away. This pathway is designed to give patients dignity and comfort in their last hours. I think this is a noble cause for those who follow The Lord, and we should work to make care for dying patients a high priority in our healthcare systems.
firstly, I love your blog, and am so thankful that you write it.
However, I was rather disappointed that you ran, and are still linking to, this post. The reason for this, is I don’t think you have all the facts. I am a British healthcare worker who has struggled with the newspaper’s constant lies about The Liverpool Care Pathway. (For full disclosure I work with adults) The articles they have been running this year, including this latest one seem designed to destroy a pathway that actually allows us to love and care for dying people, without constantly putting them through painful and unfair procedures (for more information see the blog of a doctor who is dying of cancer: http://drkategranger.wordpress.com/ who has a rather different take)
This pathway can be described as “allowing natural death” – and in adults is only considered when the medical team cannot offer any further input – not on the basis of a diagnosis, but, for example, when a patient’s pneumonia is not responding to our best antibiotics, or where, despite every device we have a patient’s heart keeps stopping beating and we struggle to keep restarting it. Patients are diagnosed with life-limiting conditions all the time: genetic, malignant, infectious, yet we don’t put patients on it straight away! The pathway is for when the patient has been diagnosed as dying and is in the last few days or hours of life (see Marie Cure – the designers of the pathway: http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/en-gb/healthcare-professionals/innovation/liverpool-care-pathway/ ) not just because someone is “terminal”.
We then, rather than “starving patients to death” may actually allow a patient who had been put nil by mouth as we were worried by complications of their swallow, to eat. We call it “at risk feeding” – allowing pleasure of eating, as days are numbered, rather than the distress of starvation in case they aspirate.
In British hospitals, like American schools, religious discussion is frowned upon. The Liverpool Care Pathway allows and encourages frank discussion about spiritual matters, and about God. It is a long piece of paperwork, and unlikely to be undertaken lightly. You see, medics are proud people, who display each of our tendencies to believe we are God in this – we believe we can cure everything. Good palliative care makes us realise we are not and allows us to get to the real nub of medicine – actually caring for our patients.
As I say, I do love reading your blog and long for more disability ministry in the UK, so please come back to me if you think I’m out of line.
[…] And that was particularly true this past week, when I posted on a Daily Mail article. […]
it would be better if we could euthanize but since we cannot do that this is the only solution… No one should be forced to raise a defective child…parents are right in their choice to withdraw foid and water… I would not hesitate for a moment to make such a wise decision