The family of Baby Joseph Maraachli have been told that their baby will not survive. Baby Joseph requires a breathing tube and the hospital is demanding that the breathing tube be removed, while the Maraachli family have asked that a tracheotomy be done to enable the family to bring Joseph home where he would die in their arms. Why is the hospital and the courts denying the Maraachli family an opportunity to allow their child to die naturally on their terms?Yesterday, LifeSiteNews asked me for comments concerning the case of Baby Joseph Maraachli. I stated to LifeSiteNews that:
“I have no idea why the London Health Sciences Centre would be putting such a legal and emotional burden upon the Maraachli family. If there are complications related to the tracheotomy, well, the child is supposedly dying anyway.”Today I received a phone call from Joseph's father, Moe Maraachli. After speaking to Mr Maraachli I can only say that my heart goes out to their family and I hope that a resolve will come to their case soon.
“The fact is that this family is living through an emotionally draining experience and all they want to do is love their son with the time that he may have left. Why must the hospital impose their plan of death upon the family?”
The facts of the case:
Baby Joseph Maraachli has been at the Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario, since mid-October when his parents, Moe and Sana Maraachli of Windsor, found he had difficulty breathing and was losing all color in his face.
Doctors discovered that he suffers from “severe and progressively deteriorating neurological problems,” in the words of a Windsor Star reporter, that there is no hope for recovery.
The doctors petitioned the consent and capacity board to have the breathing tube, the enables Joseph to breath, removed.
The Maraachli family have asked that instead of removing the breathing tube that a tracheotomy be done to allow the family to bring Joseph home where he would die in the loving arms of his family, without choking to death.
The consent and capacity board sided with the doctors which is not surprising considering the fact that Ontario's consent and capacity board almost always side with the doctor.
The Maraachli family is challenging the decision of the consent and capacity board to the Ontario Superior Court.
Eight years ago the Maraachli's daughter died from similar complications; she had a tracheotomy done and died at home. The Maraachli's want Joseph to also have the opportunity to die at home.
My response:
Since when has our society denied the parents of a supposedly dying child the right to allow the child to die at home on their terms.
This is a devastatingly sad case, that has been exasperated by the unnecessary legal battle that is totally based on the question of who has the right to decide.
In a health care system that we are being constantly told, is out of money, why are they expending tax payers dollars to bring a family to court, who simply want to bring their baby home?
6 comments:
I feel the baby be sent home and have a peaceful death in his natural environment surrounded by his parents and loved ones.
Why should he suffer the pains of being in the hospital with all those tubes and ventilators connected to him when he has no chances of survival?
Alex Schadenberg, as the aunt of Joseph, and watching first hand the pain and suffering my sister is going through because of this injustice, I thank you for this beautiful article on bringing awareness to the situation.
I really feel sorry that the hospital, the doctor and the consent and capacity board would be putting your family through such a pain and stress.
I continue to wonder why they would be doing this to you.
It's nice to see the Joseph's family is not the only ones who find this abrupt decision irrational. We wish our nephew to be brought to peace in the most humane way, with his family. Thank you to everyone for theie support and the fight to make this known.
TNT
I wish to express my sorrow and empathy with the family of Baby Joseph. I too, fail to understand the doctor's contention that a tracheotomy on the baby would be " too risky" (as quoted in the National Post, A6, Feb. 16 issue). Removing the tube,as the doctors insist on doing,is expected to lead to the baby's death and they consider an operation "too risky"? Where is the logic here? It really does look like this is all about who has "the right to decide", the doctors or the family, as Alex Schadenberg already pointed out in his article. If this is so, what a poor reason to put a family through all this! It can't be about money, as the unecessary litigation has most likely already cost more than the requested operation ever would. I pray that God will give this family peace in this tragic situation and give the doctors a more compassionate and caring attitude.
I think Baby Joseph could have been treated and helped a long time ago, but due to the amount of funding that has already been spent and additional funds that would be needed to continue to treat him, they decided it would be easier to just remove Baby Joseph's breathing tube.
I also believe that they are even more adamant NOT TO HELP now because there has been so much attention drawn to what's going on and they know if Joseph is transferred to a hospital more capable of diagnosing him and possibly even treating him, then they're secret is out about how they really just did not want to spend the money on him.
I also think the "courts" definitely don't want to help now because they are all (the hospital and the courts) hoping to simply allow Joseph to die so no one finds out they were lying all this time to save their reputations.
In summary, I think the hospital and the courts are together in this lie that Baby Joseph will not recover. They just didn't want to spend anymore money. I mean after all, aren't they both pretty much the government and can get away with whatever they want?
I have never in my life gotten so involved in something as I have with Baby Joseph. I pray for him and his family every day and I have his picture as my background on my computer so I can place my hands on his beautiful little face to pray.
Stay strong, Baby Joseph! You have touched more lives in your short time here than most people have in a lifetime...Love always to you!!
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