When All Lives Don't Matter

The Charlie Gard case is the latest medical ethics case to make international headlines.  Charlie is an 11-month old British boy who suffers from an extremely rare condition known as mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome; or MDDS for short.  This condition prevents his mitochondria from working properly; thus making it nearly impossible for his cells to function without assistance from a ventilator.  The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, which has been treating Gard, submitted an application to withdraw his medical ventilation earlier this year.  His parents appealed the decision all the way up to the European Court of Human Rights; which declined to hear their appeal.  Every court that has heard the case so far has agreed with the hospital that the withdrawal of Charlie’s medical ventilation was in the infant’s best interest. Since most of the Europeans appear to be waving the white flag, Charlie’s parents hope to fly him to the United States for treatment.  They have independently raised 1.4 million pounds, equivalent to approximately $1.8 million, to cover their trip to the States.   The experimental drug that the US hospital would use to treat Charlie still requires the green light from the Food and Drug Administration. Many international figures have spoken out in favor of keeping Charlie alive.  Pope Francis has offered Charlie Vatican citizenship, so he can receive treatment at its hospital.  President Trump has also weighed in, tweeting out “If we can help little Charlie Gard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.” A petition has been created on the website CitizenGo asking Great Ormond Street Hospital not to remove his life support.  It has reached over 400,000 signatures.  Unfortunately, high-profile British politicians including Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson have come down on the other side of this debate; siding with the doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital.    

The story of Charlie Gard may shock some of you, but it should not.  It is merely a symptom of the throwaway culture[1] we currently live in.  This throwaway culture teaches that not all lives are worth saving; especially if saving the life would present a major inconvenience.  The throwaway culture is the rationale behind euthanasia, which five states and the District of Columbia have legalized.  For nearly half a century, American courts have upheld the throwaway culture by adhering to Roe v. Wade, the controversial Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in all fifty states, effectively declaring it a “Constitutional right” on par with freedom of speech.  Abortion is frequently encouraged if an ultrasound reveals that an unborn baby has some type of disability such as Down Syndrome.  Apparently, those lives don’t matter. The perseverance of Charlie’s parents in their fight to keep their son alive almost seems counter-cultural.  The fact that Charlie’s parents are this invested in keeping him alive in this throwaway culture says a lot about their character. 

A similar series of events took place in Canada, where Canadian doctors refused to perform a tracheotomy on infant Joseph Maraachli; who suffered from a rare incurable disease.  After a lengthy legal battle, Maraachli ended up undergoing a tracheotomy in the United States; which extended his life for six months before he finally succumbed to his illness in September 2011.  The pro-life group Priests for Life provided the funding for the operation as well as the Maraachli Family’s trip to the United States.  Priests for Life has also been very vocal in the Charlie Gard case, initiating a worldwide prayer campaign for Charlie and all other young children who find themselves in similar situations.  Father Frank Pavone, the head of Priests for Life, has condemned the “dangerous philosophy” where a court can override the wishes and rights of the patients and/or the parents.  Pavone also explained how the Charlie Gard case shines a light on the lack of understanding and respect for the traditional patient-doctor relationship; where the patient is supposed to be in charge, not the doctor and especially not the government.  As demonstrated by the heated debate about health care currently going on in the United States, this philosophical debate will continue for the foreseeable future. 


As his first birthday approaches early next month, the battle to save Charlie Gard’s life continues.  A light has appeared at the end of the tunnel as The Great Ormond Street Hospital has applied for a “fresh hearing” in light of new developments about nucleoside treatment, which would be used to treat Charlie.  The Vatican-owned Bambino Gesu Hospital sent a letter to the Great Ormond Street Hospital last week, illustrating the “dramatic clinical improvements” experienced by patients and mice with a similar but not identical genetic condition as a result of the nucleoside treatment.  The preliminary hearing took place on Monday before Justice Peter Francis, the same High Court judge who handed down the initial ruling on April 11. A full day hearing will take place tomorrow.  While there is ultimately no guarantee that the nucleoside treatment will completely cure his disease and allow Charlie to grow into adulthood leading a perfectly normal life, shouldn’t his parents at least have the right to give it their best shot without “progressive” or “enlightened” government officials standing in their way?  Until the throwaway culture is replaced with a culture that has much more respect for the dignity of every human being, in addition to understanding that “All Lives Matter” is not hate speech, you can expect to hear plenty more stories like Charlie Gard’s.          
       

   

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[1] This phrase has been used by Pope Francis in many speeches.