Joseph Maraachli: End-of-life row toddler moved to US
Parents of a terminally ill Canadian boy have transferred him to a US Catholic hospital after an Ontario court ruled doctors could remove a breathing tube keeping him alive.
Joseph Maraachli, aged one, is in a vegetative state with a severe neurological condition and will not recover, Canadian doctors say.
An Ontario hospital refused his parents' request for a tracheotomy they say will prolong his life by six months and allow him to die at home.
A Catholic hospital in the US city of St Louis will review his case, a family lawyer said.
'Die comfortably'
Joseph had been at London Health Sciences Centre since October, where doctors say he will die as soon as he is removed from a ventilator. The Ontario hospital had agreed to transfer him to the family home before doing so.
But the child's family said removal of the ventilator would cause him to choke painfully to death, and asked doctors to perform a tracheotomy that they said would allow him to die more comfortably and slowly.
The hospital has said the procedure is not medically necessary and will not treat the boy's condition and refused to authorise it.
Joseph was flown to the Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St Louis in the US state of Missouri on Sunday.
The transfer on a private jet was sponsored by Priests for Life, a US anti-abortion group whose head said in a statement he had "won the battle against the medical bureaucracy in Canada".
Joseph's parents, Moe Maraachli and Sana Nader, had defied a Canadian court's order to allow doctors to remove the boy's breathing tube
1. Vegetative (Adjective)
ReplyDeleteM: growing or developing as or like plants
E: “That which reminds us of nature and thus stimulates a feeling for the infinite abundance of life is beautiful. Nature is organic, and therefore the highest beauty is forever vegetative; and the same is true for morality and love.” Friedrich Von Schlegel
2. Prolong (Verb)
M: to make something last longer
E: Eating a good diet can prolong your life.
3. Authorize (Verb)
M: to give official permission for something
E: The local government authorized the construction of a new airport.
4. Bureaucracy (Noun)
M: a government or organization in which there are a lot of officials in a lot of departments
E:” The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is inefficiency. An efficient bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty.” Eugene J. McCarthy
5. Defied (Verb)
M: to challenge the power of something; resist boldly or openly
E: He defied the order of the court.
Questions to ask:
ReplyDelete1 Which court ruled the doctors could remove the breathing tube for Joseph?
2 What did an Ontario hosipal want to do for Joesph?
3 How long did Joseph stay in the hospitals?
4 Why did Joseph's parents ask the doctors to perform a tracheotomy to Joseph?
5 Which kind of hospital will Joseph go to? (which religion?)
The summary of the news:
ReplyDeleteThe London Health Sciences Centre refused the parents of a terminally ill Canadian boy's request for a tracheotomy they say will prolong his life by six months and allow him to die at home. An Ontario court ruled doctors could remove a breathing tube keeping him alive. So, their parents transfered the boy to a US Catholic hospital. Priests for Life sponsored a pivate jet to transfer the boy to the US hospital said they had won the battle against the medical bureaucracy in Canada and the parents defied the Canda court's order to allow doctors to remove the boy's breathing tube.