tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post7168496863243397802..comments2024-02-25T10:24:30.868-05:00Comments on Special needs disability parenting BLOOM: Rain, BlogHer and child vs parent interestsBLOOM - Parenting Kids With Disabilitieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06901482901008135659noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-9669746430521646302013-07-21T19:56:28.071-04:002013-07-21T19:56:28.071-04:00Hi Eric -- I'm very grateful for your informat...Hi Eric -- I'm very grateful for your informative response! BLOOM - Parenting Kids With Disabilitieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901482901008135659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-12554554633447710822013-07-12T16:08:31.953-04:002013-07-12T16:08:31.953-04:00I have written numerous times about the Dutch euth...I have written numerous times about the Dutch euthanasia situation (and intend to write much more) coming as I do from Holland and being the father and primary caregiver of an extremely physically and mentally compromised child. Had he been born in Holland no doubt I would have been presented the option, as many parents are in like situations, of ending his "unbearable suffering". Many parents can be swayed by the presentation of their child's condition by physicians and herein, as the practice has entered the realm of 'normalcy' in Holland, Belgium and England (where parents have had to defend in court their child's right to sustained care when Hospital has decided it is enough).<br />The concept of "unbearable suffering" cuts a broad swath over disabled children's conditions; don't be fooled by "the most serious form of..." rhetoric as many children go on to have lives which are enriching. More than that, we know so little of the internal life of some children that it is ludicrous to assume the extent of the suffering, and thus imply that there are no compensating factors. In looking only at the suffering, and in giving a dubious prognosis, Physicians are herding public opinion.<br />The new amendment goes even further (having read the full Dutch original) and states that the decision lies SOLELY with the physician. The parents are "given time to adjust" to the idea of speeding the demise of their child, but cannot stop it once the decision has been made.<br />From personal experience I can say that in practice it goes so far that family need not necessarily be notified the actual assisted dying protocol has begun. I'm certain some will dispute this, citing official texts. What happens on the ground though, is quite different.<br />Whether one believes that euthanasia is a normal mode of behavior to deal with a child's suffering or not, the groningen protocol was created de facto to give legal credence to a common practice in the Dutch medical system, I am not aware of any national referendum which took place on the matter.Eric Fischerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02471331868560587898noreply@blogger.com