The book All God’s Mistakes: Genetic Counseling in a Pediatric Hospital told the story of Baby Boy Flannery, who had down syndrome and required a minor operation to allow him to digest food. The parents refused to grant their permission for the surgery, saying they wanted the baby to die. The baby was healthy aside from Down Syndrome except for the defect that could be corrected- he would live with the operation. The nurses refused to let the baby starve to death, and the hospital tried to transfer him to another hospital that would allow him to starve. Eventually, the parents gave permission for the child to be treated after being pressured. They were afraid of the publicity the case might garner, worrying about how the newspapers and media might run a story. They decided to explore adoption. Exactly what happened to the baby boy was not revealed in the book.
From one of the doctors who advocated not treating the baby
“When the parents first decided not to treat, prior to their attempts to relinquish custody, I had agreed with the parents’ decision not to support it. I went to the nurses to say that this is the situation. Here is the baby, we are not going to support it. I had a nursing revolt on my hands. My young nurses looking at this healthy baby couldn’t carry out this decision. They thought this was a place to maintain life. The same sentiment emerged among medical students, house officers, and fellows. The question I have is how to carry out a decision that involves such grief and pain to my staff.”
Charles L Bosk All God’s Mistakes: Genetic Counseling in a Pediatric Hospital (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1992) 100
This was from Dr. Palmer, the clinic coordinator. it was partly the nurses’ refusal to cooperate that saved the life of this little boy. Conscience laws, which are advocated by pro-lifers, allow health care providers to refuse to participate in abortion or euthanasia. Pro-choice groups consistently fight such laws.
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