KetchupHead
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I have a buddy that had a child with a form of Mitochondrial disease. The child has never been able to interact with its surroundings, speak, breath on its own, or do ANY 'normal' or 'semi-normal' activity a child can do. It's constantly on a ventilator and needs 24 hour nursing care. It does not vocalize or even open its eyes. Over the past month the family has been fighting for more nursing care and support from the state government. Today, the mother posted on FB about almost getting in a car accident while bringing the child home (again) from the hospital. They are unable to pay for nursing care out of pocket, so when the child started having breathing difficulties the mother (in traffic) turned from the drivers seat to suction the kids trach almost causing an accident. She complained on FB about how this is the states fault, and how it's abuse from the state to let the child be 'given up on.'
I just don't get it. Let the kid go. May seem cold, but the kid is a shell of nothingness.
eljefethechairborneranger
I kinda feel like this applies to anyone. Quality of life trumps morality.
imnotlostinlifeijustdonthaveanywheretogo
The kid sounds like a real powerhouse
BattyWhack
Can they do that legally? Wouldn't they be charged with neglect or "falling to provide the necessities of life"?
eagerophiuchus
...and every year, technology will improve and that threshold will shift a little. It's always a bit of a guess, with math, yes, but a guess
FilthyRedmond
And hopefully we'll get to a day where this isn't a worry anymore
LoopyMind
There should be such a thing as "quality of life"... as you said, sounds horrible, but letting go might be the best option
SuPeRJ03
My 16 y/o cousin was in a car crash last Christmas eve. He was in a comaand on Life support for a month. And I agree wholeheartedly.
YourInfoIsCrapImgur
Keeping a child alive for your own selfish needs is the ultimate act of cruelty
JoEllenM
I agree.
zcsnightmare
Yeah, long term life support sounds like hell, especially if there's nothing else to be done.
BeenthereDonesome
I can't come up with a valid argument against your view.
Breadeater2
I agree with OP, but you guys have to realize this isn't easy for the parents. If i was a parent, i couldn't get myself to pull the plug
Ouroborus
At this point is the kid really alive? The kid's never done anything, that's not life.
idimmadontgiveadamn
That child isnt a human, its selfish for those parents to be so scared of their own suffering if the child dies they dont care about it.
MrBart
I feel like these cases and special kids should be "put down" sounds horribly imoral but I feel they are more trouble and wasteful 1)
BALKatalo
There is a much greater argument for euthanizing old people. Three quarters of your health care is used in the last few months of your life.
MrBart
In resources and time. I'm sure the families are loving and amazing but I see taking care of them is impractical as taking a older dog. 2)
avervetmonkey
Whether they're trouble or not, I think it's important whether or not they can have a decent life. Born just to nothing but suffering, bad.
MrBart
Will be a burden and big waste of time and money to these families. Can't have a normal life having to take care of an extra person. 3)
Ghost0fDawn
Not to mention, what good would it be if you never got to "live." to be concious but unable to ever interact with the world? no thanks.
MrBart
Exactly, I would feel like it's unfair to put someone through all of that.
DontAskMeAboutMyUsernameOkay
Babies can't thrive on their own.. They need to be fed multiple times a day, plus 1000 other things. What about that?
zcsnightmare
Babies grow up, eventually become independent. That disease is not curable and by context clues, kid's got it real bad. You're reaching.
Breadeater2
You're making no sense. A baby has a life expectancy of maybe 70 years and doesn't cost much. This kid has lived past his life expectancy
DontAskMeAboutMyUsernameOkay
A baby has a life expectancy of a few days unless there's someone there to take care of it.
Breadeater2
But the kid OP's talking about will probably die regardless, and it costs a hell of a lot of taxpayers money, wherras a normal kid won't
DontAskMeAboutMyUsernameOkay
(My point was a baby cannot "thrive" on it's own. It needs someone to take care of it. And op suggests kids like that should be left to die)
KetchupHead
The kid is almost 7
DontAskMeAboutMyUsernameOkay
Right, but even a child at that age cannot provide for themselves.
KetchupHead
I don't know about you, but I could breathing on my own at 7.
DontAskMeAboutMyUsernameOkay
You misread what I said.
MizzyBelle
I could make toast and pop a movie into the VCR. Run my own bath.
bitterbeard
That's tough to stomach as a parent, you would do anything to help/save your child. In the odd scenario where you had to die to save my kid
bitterbeard
Without a doubt I would hunt you down and kill you for the serum that would save my child's life. Not because I'm a bad ass, but because I
bitterbeard
love my children so much, I would do anything for them. That's what you do as a parent, hopefully 99.999% of the time it doesn't involve
bitterbeard
murder and destruction...
Ouroborus
We should offer the same mercy to adults. But religious extremists feel it is necessary to live no matter what, almost like they thrive /2
Ouroborus
On the suffering of others. We're having an assisted dying debate up in Canada right now, and the against people are all religious nuts.
reliturino
I agree. It's a rough choice, but it's the best choice, imo. No one wants to bury a child, but life isn't fair and it just sucks sometimes.
fredgiblet
You can make another one. Really. It's not even hard.
SeeMyVests
It helps to be hard, though...
MizzyBelle
30 seconds
KetchupHead
Unfortunately Mitochondrial disease are genetic and the chance that their next kid would have the same thing is VERY high.
fredgiblet
Well that sucks. Maybe they can use in vitro fertilization to pick an embryo that's not affected?
NovaPlanter
Adoption is probably a good choice when you look at the cost of adoption verses the cost of keeping the kid alive (emotional & financial)
Breadeater2
It's their fucking kid. The parents love it, and don't want it to die
Breadeater2
Also, some people have trouble conceiving a child, I feel for these parents. Even though I accept OP's point, it's not easy for the parents
Quirillion
Regardless of whether they should let the kid go, the state should definitely not pay for its care anymore.
MalignantUpper2
Should put the age of the child in there, thought it was just an infant at first. Since it's been 7 years of this however then yeah I agree
tissiposki
At first I was thinking of a kid who won't become anything great.
tissiposki
Why wouldn't state pay for that? That's what state is for.
KetchupHead
Because they have been giving 100% support for over 6 years (way past its life expectancy) I can only imagine the hundreds of thousands it
KetchupHead
Costs to keep him alive every year.
tissiposki
This is ethical question, not financial.
KetchupHead
Would we even ask this question if it was a 75 year old person?
tissiposki
State gets its justification by being there for the man. You think that ending the necessary care would change the parents point of view?
scuba7jb
Why not both? Wasting thousands of dollars of medical resources on this child instead of using it to help those in poverty......
KetchupHead
And financial should be considered, due to tax dollars being spent on it.
shwiggityshwoot
Nursing home diversions cost $5k per month. Keeping the child at home must be cheaper than that or they state would say "put them in skilled
shwiggityshwoot
Nursing". Maybe that's what the state is truly saying. Any way it is definitely an ethical issue. The state sees that it is a child in need
shwiggityshwoot
Not a loss of adult potential. Wasteful in your opinion but an obligation to the state not to judge based on potential futures.
TheRisingDemon
I like how you refer to this child as "it" repeatedly.
massiveluxuryoverdose
This.
KetchupHead
Unfortunately that's how I feel 'it' should be addressed. Again,imo
MyBrainIsPlastiDipped
If youre unaware of your surrounding, cant see or talk,have no personality,do you have a gender?Some say your anatomy doesn't define gender.
TheRisingDemon
At what point do you deserve enough dignity not to be objectified? They are using it to dehumanize someone, not to avoid assigning a gender
MizzyBelle
My grandpa called my grandma IT all the time. I thought it was hilarious. It was a strange kind of endearment. Especially as a kid.
MyBrainIsPlastiDipped
Ooh, good point.
shwiggityshwoot
Yep. Clearly doesn't see the kid as human so already I'm aware of the bias.
KetchupHead
The kid cannot eat on its own. Breath on its own. Urinate or defecate on its own. Speak. Interact. Has been pronounce brain dead twice......
melveys
If I'm ever brain dead, I hope those around me would offer me dignity and care and not dehumanize me simply because my family can't let go.
MizzyBelle
Has no quality of life. I work with the developmentally delayed. They need to let this one go. Some can have a quality of life others no.
raptorfences
Mitochondrial disease? Like a Jedi?
eliavchik
zcsnightmare
Or a Sith... Vader had a ventilator >.> uh oh
raptorfences
Oh holy shit that's good. +1 to you, sir/madam/attack helo.
xHughJassx
The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell
SeeMyVests
The midichlorian is the powerhouse of the cell
ColdfreezeZero
It pretty much beat the crap out of that kids cells.
raptorfences
I might have slept/drank through most of my bio classes but I'm pretty sure it also makes you a Jedi.
FilthyRedmond
Not the kid's cells... They're m, uh, not doin' so well
MikeyTheHero
midichlorians is for Jedis. LOL
Nabrubus
thatsthejoke
MikeyTheHero
http://imgur.com/C3urEHY
raptorfences
What'd I say?
MikeyTheHero
Mitochondria. DUH
raptorfences
So the kid can force choke a nurse?
DreaMLG
That's the joke