The Story of Emmie-Rose

The Story of Emmie-Rose

Speaking of prayers for babies, 23 Weeks, is the blog of the parents of Emmie-Rose, a little girl who was born on July 15 at only 23 weeks gestation. She has been fighting for life ever since, but at the beginning of this month, they found that she’s missing her intestine. Emmie-Rose’s parents have been looking for options or even a chance to let their daughter live as long as possible, but the hospital (in Cleveland, I gather from context) is washing their hands of her.

On September 3, they told the parents that their daughter would only live a few more days, but she’s still holding on. The hospital’s “ethics” committee met and determined that since the girl is going to die anyway that they would withhold further food and blood transfusions. But if she’s going to die anyway, why hasten her death? They’re also obstructing efforts by the parents to find another hospital to take Emmie-Rose by telling those hospitals they shouldn’t. And even though Emmie-Rose’s doctors want to try new treatments the “ethics” committee won’t let them. This is what the commmittee said:

ETHICS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

Since physicians have determined that the patients condition is terminal and incurable, further medical interventions other than comfort measures are futile and transfer to another facility does not serve the best interest of this child. Furthermore, since continued medical interventions offer no reasonable medical benefit to the patient and such interventions serve only to postpone the moment of death, the treatment team is under no moral obligation to continue life-sustaining treatment. The parent’s right to seek a second opinion has been met. Since it has been determined that no additional interventions can be offered to this child, there is no benefit in transferring her to another facility.

In other words, they have sentenced their child to die based on their own “infallible” judgment. Why not try? The baby is living and fighting? Why not even carry with normal measures such as food and blood transfusions? What do they have to lose ... except time and money?

Please pray for Emmie-Rose, her parents, and the hospital administrators. The culture of death has sunk its claws in very deep and this baby’s life is at stake.

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