Yesterday I saw a tweet about a must read story. It turned out to be the story of a little girl named Amelia who is being deprived of life-saving kidney surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) because, as the physician's statement says, she is mentally retarded. Read her story HERE.
Ellen Seidman of Love That Max has written a follow-up post interviewing Amelia's mother and explaining the outrageous protocols that are followed by the medical community when it comes to the disabled. HERE.
Sunday Stilwell of Adventures in Extreme Parenthood, began an on line petition on Amelia's behalf. You can sign a petition demanding that CHOP allow Amelia the life-saving surgery. HERE.
The thing that is very important to know, is that there already is a family member-donor for Amelia. The hospital does not have to go out into society to find a match. A willing match already exists. It is merely their decision that someone with intellectual disabilities is not entitled to life saving surgery. Or in otherwords, society would have been better off if those with disabilities were never born. UPDATE: Sunday Stilwell also tweeted earlier Sunday afternoon that there are two other reasons to deny a transplant, HIV or Hepatitis C...neither of which Amelia has. So there really is no reason for the denial except for her intellectual disability as the medical papers stated.
Heard that line of thinking before. About 70 years ago, spoken openly in German where the Nazis practiced mass killing methods on those deemed unfit or disabled, before they began the Final Solution to the Jewish Problem, aka the Holocaust. Read HERE.
You would think that modern American society would be a little more advanced toward the concept of humanity than the Nazis. Sadly it doesn't appear to be the reality. HERE.
Let's do what we can for Amelia. Demand she receive the life-saving surgery. Demand that the medical community change their ignroant and evil protocols toward our children.
Meanwhile, CHOP in response to the public outcry has issued what one would call a very gratuitous rebuttal on their facebook page. From the comments being left, parents are not buying their tap-dancing act.
Add-on 1/14/12: Terri Mauro at About.com Children with Special Needs has written a post about Amelia. She is also collecting and listing blogs from anyone who has written about this situation. Read her post HERE. Kwombles of Countering... also is keeping a running list of #teamamelia bloggers. HERE.
Until next time,
Elise
Saturday, January 14, 2012
3 comments:
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Thank you for this I have signed the petition, posted on my wall, emailed CHOP, Written on their wall.
ReplyDeleteWhat happens when genetic testing allows doctors to tell about future mental impairments...
ReplyDeleteLauren- thanks for your help. Honestly that is truly one of the major worries about genetic testing, DNA information and access by governments/insurance companies. Based on your genetics or DNA they would be able to deny you medical treatment simply because they will decide you are not worth saving.
ReplyDeletePeople deride you anytime you mention "Death Panels" but considering they are in Obamacare, what do the supporters of this bill actually think these panels will do. The Obama administration already came out and told women they should not have mammograms until they are 50, because the cost-benefit of the number of women who get breast cancer in their 40s or earlier doesn't warrant the cost to the country of mammograms. I suppose it makes sense unless of course you are one of those that gets cancer and could have been saved if you had had that mammogram in your 40s. Luckily there was an outcry in the country from breastcancer advocates,and noone put that recommendation into practice. But what is everyone going to do if these committees have legal effect and stop you from receiving treatment at any time in your life or your children's lives.That is what happens in Canada. The health administrations decide who can receive treatment and if the money allotted for the year runs out, people do not get the medical care they need. Same in England.