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Baby Charlotte Wyatt Needs Help

Because she would likely never have the chance to run and play like other children, doctors decided that it was in her best interest to let her die.

We received the information about Charlotte Wyatt by email today, and we've been asked as a group to help get the message out about her plight. All BlogsForTerri Blogs are encouraged to look into this matter and help get Charlotte the attention MSM attention she deserves(hopefully the life-kind of media attention).

Eighteen months ago, Charlotte was born premature, with severe health problems. She had to be resuscitated three times. (She is not on a resuscitator, although she does get help from an oxygen tent.) Six months ago the hospital caring for Charlotte sought permission not to resuscitate her again -- over the vehement objections of her Christian parents-- and a British High Court judge ruled on the side of the hospital.

The hospital said that Charlotte was deaf and blind. But she can now see and hear.

The hospital said that Charlotte would die of an infection over the winter. But she's still alive.

Now hospital sources "admit the 18-month-old baby may live on for 'a considerable time' — potentially years rather than months."

Charlotte's parents went back to court a month ago to ask the judge to allow Charlotte at least some time (even if only five days) on a ventilator if she needs the help again. The judge delayed his decision a month.

Now it has been a month, and there has been a defeat in the courts.

It wasn't enough. Justice Hedley was glad that little Charlotte could see, hear, respond and smile, but believed his former ruling should continue to hold--- no resuscitation. This on hearing from the majority medical opinion--- the same opinion that last autumn held that she was permanently blind, deaf,and unresponsive, and would never survive the winter--- that she was 'terminally ill' and therefore any aggresive treatment would be pointless.

Who to believe? In this case it seems obvious. You have a little girl fighting for her life, and she has proven to the world her life is not dead-ended. You have her parents who want to fight with her till the end, till all hope is gone. And the doctors, who consider it in her best interest to die. Note that these are the same who judged for David Glass that he had no hope and his "best interests" lay in "allowing" him to die.

There is a caveat in the judge's ruling-- he notes that this new decision is not open-ended and is subject to review. What evidence will he need, I wonder, to decide in her favor?

But Charlotte hasn't given up, and we won't either. SHE NEEDS OUR HELP!

Background Information For Bloggers and Blog Readers:

Posted by tim at April 21, 2005 2:59 PM

• Let the Computers Decide? - Mar 14, 2007
• No Longer in a Permanent Vegetative State - Oct 11, 2006
• The Ultimate Petri Dish? - Oct 06, 2006
• Human Guinea Pigs - Oct 05, 2006
• Dutch Euthanasia Leads to Permitted Infanticide - May 25, 2006
• The Sad Case of Andrea Clark - Apr 27, 2006
• Bloggers' Best for Terri Schiavo: Anniversary Edition, pt. 2 - Mar 27, 2006
• Terri Schiavo and the Value of Life - Mar 18, 2006
• Remembering Terri Schiavo - Mar 15, 2006
• Michael Schiavo - Speaker at Ethics Conference? - Aug 16, 2005