Posted on 03/18/2011 1:14:05 PM PDT by wagglebee
The world has taken notice of a 14-month old baby from Canada whose family has been fighting the medical establishment since October to help their child breathe. Moe and Sana Maraachli were refused a tracheotomy for their son because the apparently fatal neurological disease that the child has renders further intervention “futile.”
Working with many others, we at Priests for Life arranged to have the baby transferred to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center in St Louis, and I went on the medical jet to pick up the baby and his father on Sunday night March 13. Now, the child has another chance at getting better care, and the family another chance at maximizing the time they can spend with their child.
A lot of media has accompanied the event. One reporter who was not too interested in covering the story asked, “Who the hell is Baby Joseph and why should I care?”
The short answer is, Baby Joseph is all of us.
After all, the problem underlying this case is not simply one particular hospital or the Canadian medical system. The problem is a philosophy of life that says that how valuable you are depends on how well you function. The problem is a philosophy of medicine that says that if someone is going to die anyway, there’s no benefit in prolonging life. The problem is a philosophy of suffering that says we can actually determine what somebody else’s level of happiness is, and measure their misery, and that if they don’t have the good sense to eliminate it, we can step in and do so against their wishes.
If we don’t think that we and our loved ones will be affected by this philosophy when it comes to our own medical challenges and decisions, we should think again. It’s happening every day, often with subtle or not so subtle pressure from medical professionals, who, instead of rendering medical judgments, render value judgments. Doctors are not supposed to judge for us the “meaning” or “value” of extending the life of a loved one, or our own life. Rather, they are supposed to judge for us whether a particular treatment or intervention will have certain effects on a loved one or on us. They need to leave it to us, in consultation with our family and clergy, to determine what meaning or value we find in the situation.
This is what the parents of Baby Joseph, together with Priests for Life and many others, are trying to say. Baby Joseph’s parents, who want to care for him no matter how long or short his life may be, were told that this life wasn’t worth extending. It’s time to draw a line in the sand and tell the medical profession that this is not their role. “Life not worth living” belongs to a philosophy that led to one of the world’s greatest holocausts, which ended with the declaration “Never Again.”
Our efforts on behalf of Baby Joseph can actually be summarized by those two words.
LifeNews.com Note: Father Frank Pavone is the national director of Priests for Life.
Father Pavone nails it here!
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I’ve ignored every Baby Joseph thread I’ve seen. I have no clue who he is. In fact, the only reason I am responding in this thread is that I saw the title and I agree with it (and the title is all I read), in so much as “because I don’t know him, I’ll focus on the problems/issues of those I DO know.”
Even if somebody is lacking in human compassion, one would think that common sense self interest would lead these people to realize that one day it might be their own precious hide tossed into the secular humanist discard pile.
The problem is a philosophy of life that says that how valuable you are depends on how well you function. The problem is a philosophy of medicine that says that if someone is going to die anyway, there’s no benefit in prolonging life. The problem is a philosophy of suffering that says we can actually determine what somebody else’s level of happiness is, and measure their misery, and that if they don’t have the good sense to eliminate it, we can step in and do so against their wishes.
—
I think that is a perfect description of Obama and what he has in store for Americans.
Wasn’t that the point, it’s only a matter of time until it is someone you do know or a matter of time until it is you?
Wow! What an incredibly powerful article!
And you claim to be a Christian?
You should take another look at the verse in your tagline (Revelation 18:4), because your post is indicative of the overall collapse of Christianity in America.
This story moved me to tears. I pray for this beautiful, innocent baby, and for his family that he will get the medical care he needs in order to thrive and grow. To those who are so against helping this child, Shame on you! Ask yourself “What would Jesus do?” I expect you already know!!!
Does anyone know how baby Joseph is doing? Has he undergone the tracheotomy? I haven’t seen anything for a couple of days now, since he was moved out of Canada.
Thank God for Father Pavone and all who made it possible for Baby Joseph to come to the USA for treatment and loving care amongst friends and family.
As for the reporter...he’s irrelevant, has no soul and therefore is lost and evidently has been for a long time.
Baby Joseph is the one who is important in this story.
Yes, it is the Christian worldview vs. Darwin/Postmodern view.
Whittaker Chambers expressed this culture war in 1954 as Man vs. God.
One says there is a God who decides life and death....and people have dignity and morality because they are made in God’s image—and there is Objective Truth—right and wrong.
The other says there is no God, therefore no Objective Truth—no right and wrong that doesn’t evolve and change as we decide right and wrong—we are just animals, and when we are useless eaters in the collective, we need to be eliminated. There is no meaning to life, anyway, except all the material wealth and power you can grab during your time on earth. NOW is all that matters.
We have seen the societies created from the godless worldview. They can never be free and good and just.
I feel sad for you.
Why are you bragging about your ignorance?
If you are not interested, can you not keep that information to yourself?
The tracheotomy was scheduled to be done either yesterday or today. I haven’t seen any updates. He is doing as well as can be expected.
Here are some links, one of them has a link to a YouTube video of Father Pavone and Baby Joseph:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/josephmaraachli/index?tab=articles
Matthew 25:40
I predict that one day Fr. Pavone will be a cannonized saint.
While people have been agonizing over baby Joseph, thousands have been killed on our nation’s highways, and many more severely injured. Families have been devastated. And yet this one baby gets all the press.
What gives?
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