Doctors should have the right to kill newborn babies because they are disabled, too expensive or simply unwanted by their mothers, an academic with links to Oxford University has claimed. Francesca Minerva, a philosopher and medical ethicist, argues a young baby is not a real person and so killing it in the first days after birth is little different to aborting it in the womb.And the sad fact is, given how society arbitrarily and routinely states that late-term abortion is just fine, how can society actually disagree with her? How is, say, a late-term abortion on medical grounds any different from a killing a child for social or medical reasons a week after birth? What have we done that a respected member of our society can justify infanticide like this? (given this isn't some rather cynical attempt by an academic to get some much-needed publicity for an ailing career).
I worry about the world in which my grandchildren (not yet born) will bring up their own children.
5 comments:
I am surprised the BMJ would even publish this. I have blogged about it at science and values blog. Andrew S
Deeply disturbing. Ancient societies that killed their infants faced terminal judgement from God themselves!
Richard
Deeply disturbing. Ancient societies that killed their infants faced terminal judgement from God themselves!
Richard
If one studies the scriptures, there is no doubt that the sanctity of human life is absolutely embedded into its words i.e. from the Torah where human sacrifice was absolutely forbidden, measures taken to look after people in old age etc. to Jesus clearly elevating human life above animal life when an animal had fallen into a pit in connection with healing on the Sabbath. We’d be blind not to see that there has been a massive attack on these principles by secularists, humanists and sadly areas of the Church in recent years. If society reduces human life to a mere economic commodity, then I think we might ask how much longer will the Lord tarry?
Hi Folks,
I agree with everyone on their comments.
I am deeply disturbed over the remark by Francesca Minerva regarding killing a new born baby post the birth.Considering that medical science can generally prove that they can scientifically identify a human being in the early genetic stages at and post conception - really indicates Francesca's own personal views on the matter of abortion and/or infanticide.
Additionally, many doctors do try and consult with the parent(s) of children with Downsyndrome, spinal bifida,and cerebral palsy, etc, to take action and terminate the pregnancy, or allow the medical team to intervene and terminate the life of the child post the birth - while refering to the innacurate perspective that the child will not live past puberty, and also to try and convince the parent(s) that by terminating the child the team will have saved the parents "Hardship and heartache".
It saddens me that post-modern society has reached a crisis point in it's development, where human life is synonymous with financial funding. This is presently relevant within the Third Sector, where individuals with learning dissabilities, etc, are experiencing a reduction of their services, mainly due to government cuts within the voluntary sector because of the recession.Conclusively, this potential pressure from medical professionals and the systematic reduction of state funding for people with learning dissabilities, etc, is a continual worry for young expectant mothers - who may be influenced to consider the future of their unborn or born child solely from a clinical or financial perspective.
Society needs to protect and empower vulnerable individuals, not persecute or disempower them.
Let's pray in our hearts that society will value the gift of a human life for what it actually is, rather than what it may take or what it may/may not contribute.
Brendan.
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