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Let Alfie Evans Go to Rome!
National Review ^ | 04/26/2018 | The Editors

Posted on 04/26/2018 8:01:02 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Alfie Evans, 23 months old, is hospitalized with a rare neurodegenerative disorder. Against his parents’ wishes, his doctors at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool removed him from life support on Monday evening, maintaining that further treatment would be futile. Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome has offered to treat him and arranged for his medical transport, which is on standby. The Italian government has granted him citizenship, clearing legal and administrative hurdles in advance.

Doctors in Liverpool forbid the child to be removed from their watch, however, and British courts have backed them up, holding out the possibility that at some point the parents will be permitted to take him home to die, but batting down the idea that he will ever be allowed to leave the country. The courts have offered no compelling or even plausible reason for blocking his transfer to the Italian hospital. We support his parents, Tom Evans and Katie James, in their resolve to keep the case before the public until Alder Hey corrects course and releases Alfie so they can place him in the hands of medical professionals who will provide care that the Liverpool doctors will not.

To defend their intransigence, which they have repeated in several decisions handed down since December, British judges have merely gestured at the notion that they must supply an argument. For months, they have reiterated that further medical treatment for Alfie would not be in his “best interest.” But if the rest of his life will be as short as they and his Liverpool doctors say, he has little of it to lose even if heroic medical measures went awry. And given the severity of his brain damage, which his parents acknowledge, official pronouncements about his “autonomy” are a non sequitur, as they would be for any two-year-old child in need of medical attention, for that matter. Justice Anthony Hayden of the High Court wrote that artificial ventilation was an assault on Alfie’s “dignity,” as if modern intensive-care units themselves were a barbarity. That doctors in Rome can prolong Alfie’s life and even improve his medical condition may be a long shot, but the assumption that their trying would somehow put him at risk makes little sense at this juncture. Risk of what?

The medical disagreement between Alfie’s doctors and his parents became a legal dispute. It’s now a political debate because the stakes are high and the medical and legal authorities have not answered the question why the parents in concert with a reputable Italian pediatric hospital should be prevented from pursuing treatment for their child. The stakes are high for Alfie and his parents, obviously, but for all of Britain insofar as their case establishes a precedent or reinforces earlier ones. So far, the similarities to the Charlie Gard ordeal in London last year have been glaring: Charlie suffered brain damage; his doctors withheld treatment; his parents objected; two hospitals, including Bambino Gesù, offered to take him. The British courts said no.

In Liverpool, local residents have been gathering outside Alder Hey to demonstrate, in a spontaneous swell of support for Alfie’s parents. Some members of the European Parliament have denounced the U.K. authorities in the strongest terms. Pope Francis, with whom Tom Evans met in Rome last week, has appealed publicly and repeatedly to the U.K. government to let Alfie’s parents “seek new forms of treatment” for him in Italy.

Alfie has been breathing unassisted for two days now, defying the expectations of his doctors, although his mother reports that he’s struggling and that his need for intensive care to resume may be urgent. Mariella Enoc, chief of Bambino Gesù, which is affiliated with the Vatican, flew to Liverpool to intercede in behalf of Alfie and his parents, so far to no avail. We salute and thank the Holy See and the Italian government for stepping up. The U.K. medical and legal establishment appears adamant, but so do Alfie’s parents. So does Alfie himself. The British courts have failed to make their case for barring him from the plane that stands ready and waiting to fly him to Rome. They will either reverse their decision or suffer a permanent loss of credibility.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: alfie; alfieevans; childrenofthestate; nhs; obamacarefuture; rome
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1 posted on 04/26/2018 8:01:02 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

And we think the Muslims are cretins! The British have eclipsed the Muslims when it comes to human decency, but then they’re “inbreeding with the Muslilms” so maybe that’s where all of this is coming from. One thing is certain, the people from the British Isles that founded America, were way, way different than the crap that remained there.


2 posted on 04/26/2018 8:11:57 AM PDT by vette6387
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To: SeekAndFind
Charles Dickens could have created a scenario this bizarre and evil. I'm thinking of Bleak House--where a probate court manages to deplete a huge estate to zero, arguing over which of the heirs should inherit how much.

But I think Dickens would have found treating a human life in this way mystifying.

3 posted on 04/26/2018 8:12:08 AM PDT by SamuraiScot
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To: SeekAndFind

Are the British people even aware of this or are they busy fawning over Harry, Megan, and “what will they name the new royal baby?”


4 posted on 04/26/2018 8:14:02 AM PDT by pnz1 (#IMNOTWITHHER)
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To: SeekAndFind

I struggle to understand any reason behind the hospital/doctors with this decision, especially as the little guy keeps holding on and fighting to live. At first I understood they just really expected him to die. But now, it’s as if they want him to die to prove themselves right. I hope the parents, regardless of outcome, sue the living bejezzez out of them.


5 posted on 04/26/2018 8:18:34 AM PDT by BBQToadRibs
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To: BBQToadRibs

RE: But now, it’s as if they want him to die to prove themselves right.

If I were in their shoes, I’d WANT TO BE PROVEN WRONG.

If a cure were possible and it succeeded, why would I not want to see that happen? A good result for Alfie means it could be available for everyone else.


6 posted on 04/26/2018 8:24:50 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: BBQToadRibs

The reasoning has to do with what the court/government perceive as a bigger issue which is the failure of the NHS. They cannot let this or any child go elsewhere for care as it will show the failure of their socialist system/government. They must protect their own no matter how many children/families must suffer. The only way this changes is for the good people of Britan to stand up for themselves.


7 posted on 04/26/2018 8:26:24 AM PDT by HOYA97 (twitter @hoya97)
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To: pnz1

They’re fully aware, and wholeheartedly approve.

Read the comments at some of the British papers online. Daily Mail, for example. It appears that anywhere from 2/3 to 3/4 of the commenters are eager to see him killed.

They get especially upset when anyone compares the baby of Kate James, commoner to the baby of Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. They accept as indisputable fact, the premise that royals are their betters, and more deserving of life. Any questioning of that view is considered blasphemous.


8 posted on 04/26/2018 8:29:34 AM PDT by BykrBayb (Lung cancer free since 11/9/07. Colon cancer free since 7/7/15. Obama free since 1/20/17. PTL ~ Þ)
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To: HOYA97

A cynical part of me thinks there’s a financial piece too. It’s going to be too expensive to pull him through and support him, keep him living. It sets a precedent. Some bean counter just got a say in Alphie’s medical decisions.


9 posted on 04/26/2018 8:29:48 AM PDT by BBQToadRibs
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To: BBQToadRibs
This is about one thing only - the irrefutable and irresistible unyielding power of the state. Modern day England is nothing more than an old-world feudal tyranny.

If you want to see where the current-day American left wants to take this country, look no further than across the Atlantic.

10 posted on 04/26/2018 8:30:44 AM PDT by Redplum
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To: SeekAndFind
A good result for Alfie means it could be available for everyone else.

At a cost. And that, my dear, is why Alfie must die.

11 posted on 04/26/2018 8:31:38 AM PDT by BykrBayb (Lung cancer free since 11/9/07. Colon cancer free since 7/7/15. Obama free since 1/20/17. PTL ~ Þ)
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To: SeekAndFind

Can’t - the UK judges want to kill this child.


12 posted on 04/26/2018 8:46:09 AM PDT by SkyDancer ( ~ Just Consider Me A Random Fact Generator ~ Eat Sleep Fly Repeat ~)
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To: SeekAndFind

On their Twitter profile: “The only children’s hospital in Europe built in a park. Working to develop better, safer treatments for children everywhere.”

https://twitter.com/AlderHey


13 posted on 04/26/2018 8:51:07 AM PDT by mlizzy (America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe/Wade has deformed a great nation. -MT)
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To: pnz1

Elitism is the only law left in jolly old England.


14 posted on 04/26/2018 9:16:35 AM PDT by Louis Foxwell (Islam is Satans finest work.)
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To: BBQToadRibs; HOYA97

As I sit here on FR in outrage for several days trying to figure out what on earth their reasoning is, you both make entirely too much sense, thank you. Interesting how no official reason is given other than the vague “best interests of the child.”

This whole thing is absolutely bone-chilling.


15 posted on 04/26/2018 9:24:19 AM PDT by agrace
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To: SeekAndFind

In the following quotations from Churchill, we can see thoughts of his on the subject of socialism and its consequences, quotations dating from 1908 to the 1950’s. Surely, Churchill would view this child as a victim of that ideology!

Much of what is happening in England and America today is described within these words:

“When I see the present Socialist Government denouncing capitalism in all its forms, mocking with derision and contempt the tremendous free enterprise capitalist system on which the mighty production of the United States is founded, I cannot help feeling that as a nation we are not acting honorably or even honestly.” - Winston Churchill, Woodford Green, July 10, 1948.

“We shall not allow the advance of society and economic well-being of the nation to be regulated and curtailed by the pace of the weakest bretheren among us. Proper incentives must be offered and full freedom given to the strong to use their strength in the commonweal. Initiative, enterprise, thrift, domestic foresight, contrivance, good housekeeping and natural ability must reap their just reward. On any other plan the population of this island will sink by disastrous and agonizing stages to a far lower standard of life and two-thirds of its present numbers.” - Winston Churchill, speech, Blenheim Palace, August 4, 1947.

“The difference between what is seen and what is not seen was often noticed by the old economists. What is not seen is the infinite variety of individual transactions and decisions which, in a civilized society, within the framework of just and well-known laws, insure the advantage not only of the individual concerned, but of the community, and provide that general body of well-being constituting the wealth of nations. All this is blotted out by an over-riding State control, however imposing some of its manifestations may be. It is the vital creative impulse that that I deeply fear the doctrines and policy of the socialist Government have destroyed, or are rapidly destroying, in our national life. Nothing that they can plan and order and rush around enforcing will take its place. They have broken the mainspring, and until we get a new one the watch will not go.” - Winston Churchill, speech, House of Commons, October 28, 1947.

“It is in the interest of the wage-earner to have many other alternatives open to him than service under one all-powerful employer called the State. He will be in a better position to bargain collectively and production will be more abundant; there will be more for all and more freedom for all when the wage earner is able, in the large majority of cases, to choose and change his work, and deal with a private employer who, like himself, is subject to the ordinary pressures of life and, like himself, is dependent upon his personal thrift, ingenuity and good-housekeeping.” - Winston Churchill, speech, Blackpool, October 5, 1946

“Liberalism (classical liberalism) has its own history and its own tradition. Socialism has its own formulas and aims. Socialism seeks to pull down wealth; Liberalism seeks to raise up poverty. Socialism would destroy private interests; Liberalism would preserve private interests in the only way in which they can be safely and justly preserved, namely, by reconciling them with public right. Socialism would kill enterprise; Liberalism would rescue enterprise from the trammels of privilege and preference. Socialism assails the pre-eminence of the individual; Liberalism seeks, and shall seek more in the future, to build up a minimum standard for the mass. Socialism exalts the rule; Liberalism exalts the man. Socialism attacks capital; Liberalism attacks monopoly.” - Winston Churchill, Kinnaird Hall, Dundee, May 14, 1908.

“The British nation now has to make one of the most momentous choices in its history. That choice is between two ways of life: between individual liberty and State domination: between concentration of ownership in the hands of the State and the extension of a property-owning democracy; between a policy of increasing restraint and a policy of liberating energy and ingenuity: between a policy of levelling down and a policy of finding opportunities for all to rise upwards from a basic standard.” - Winston Churchill, speech in Woodford, England, January 28, 1950.

“It is curious that, while in the days of my youth I was much reproached with inconsistency and being changeable, I am now scolded for adhering to the same views I had early in life and even of repeating passages from speeches which I made long before most of you were born. Of course the world moves on and we dwell in a constantly changing climate of opinion. But the broad principles and truths of wise and sane political actions do not necessarily alter with the changing moods of a democratic electorate. Not everything changes. Two and two still make four, and I could give you many other instances which go to prove that all wisdom is not new wisdom.” - Winston Churchill, speech, Bele vue, Manchester, December 6, 1947.

“It is not Parliament that should rule; it is the people who should rule through Parliament.” - Winston Churchill, speech, House of Commons. November 11, 1947.

“We have to combat the wolf of socialism, and we shall be able to do it far more effectively as a pack of hounds than as a flock of sheep.” - Winston Churchill, speech, 1937.

:Athough it is now put forward in the main by people who have a good grounding in the Liberalism and Radicalism of the early part of this century, there can be no doubt that Socialism is inseparably interwoven with Totalitarianism and the abject worship of the State. It is not alone that property, in all its forms, is struck at, but that liberty, in all its forms, is challenged by the fundamental conceptions of Socialism.” - Winston Churchill, B.B.C radio address, June 4, 1945.

“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent vice of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” - Winston Churchill, House of Commons, October 22, 1945.

“Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.” - Winston Churchill, Perth, May 28, 1948.

“I do not wonder that British youth is in revolt against the morbid doctrine that nothing matters but the equal sharing of miseries: that what used to be called the submerged tenth can only be rescued by bringing the other nine-tenths down to their level; against the folly that it is better that everyone should have half rations rather than that any by their exertions, or ability, should earn a second helping.” - Winston Churchill, London, June 22, 1948.

“Socialism is based on the idea of an all-powerful State which owns everything, which plans everything, which distributes everything, and thus through its politicians and officials decides the daily life of the individual citizen.” - Winston Churchill, London, January 21, 1950.

“The British and Americans do not war with races or governments as such. Tyranny, external or internal, is our foe whatever trappings and disguises it wears, whatever language it speaks, or perverts.” - Winston Churchill, Speech, Dorchester Hotel, London, July 4, 1953.

“You may try to destroy wealth, and find that all you have done is to increase poverty.” - Winston Churchill, speech, House of Commons. March 12, 1947.

“Nor should it be supposed as you would imagine, to read some of the Left-wing newspaper, that all Americans are multi-millionaires of Wall Street. If they were all multi-millionaires that would be no reason for condemning a system which has produced such material results.: - Winston Churchill, speech, Royal Albert Hall, London. April 21, 1948.

“Rich men, although valuable to the revenue, are not vital to a healthy state of society, but a society in which rich men are got rid of, from motives of jealousy, is not a healthy state.” - Winston Churchill, speech, House of Commons, April 24, 1950.


16 posted on 04/26/2018 9:34:39 AM PDT by loveliberty2
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To: SamuraiScot
But I think Dickens would have found treating a human life in this way mystifying.

Think of the words of the Ghost of Christmas Present, in A Christmas Carol:

“Man,” said the Ghost, “if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man’s child. Oh God! to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust!”

Incidentally, I used this quote in commenting on an article about the Alfie Evans situation in the Daily Mail. Needless to say, it did got get past the censors. The attitude of the average Briton appears to be, "he's going to die anyway, so he might as well do it, and decrease the surplus population."

17 posted on 04/26/2018 9:42:47 AM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: SeekAndFind

18 posted on 04/26/2018 9:44:19 AM PDT by SparkyBass
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To: SeekAndFind

As with Charlie Gard before him, if they let Alfie go and he recovers, it damages their socialized health system, and it’s the survival of the system that is their main concern. If kids have to die to preserve their system, so be it.

This is called “compassion.”


19 posted on 04/26/2018 9:47:26 AM PDT by TBP (Progressives lack compassion and tolerance. Their self-aggrandizement is all that matters.)
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To: Louis Foxwell

It’s amazing that Churchill rallied the hapless Brits in 1940; no one since has done so. They lack basic scruples.


20 posted on 04/26/2018 10:00:51 AM PDT by Theodore R.
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