what do you think of baby theresa case?

Question

Theresa Ann Campo Pearson, an anencephalic infant –
q Anencephalic infants are sometimes referred to as “babies without brains”.
q In most cases of anencephaly are detected during pregnancy and aborted.
q Baby Theresa’s parents volunteered her organs for transplant.
q The physicians agreed that this was a good idea.
q Florida law does not allow the removal of organs until the donor is dead.
q Ethicists -- it is unethical to kill in order to save. It's unethical to kill
person A in order to save person B. – It seems too horrifying to use people
as means to other people’s ends.
q Was it really horrendous? These commentators thought so, but the parents
and doctors did not. Were the parents right or wrong to volunteer the baby's organs for transplant?

Answer 1

I think the parents were trying to salvage what they could from an awful situation. In quite a few states, brain death (which I assume would parallel anencephaly quite closely) is sufficient for removal from life support, at which point the patient dies and organs can be removed. When you think about it, if the baby truly did not have a functioning brain, the infant was in a persistant vegetative state and not truly alive. It's terribly tragic, but not horrendous.

Answer 2

Baby Theresa

Answer 3

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RE:
what do you think of baby theresa case?
Theresa Ann Campo Pearson, an anencephalic infant –
q Anencephalic infants are sometimes referred to as “babies without brains”.
q In most cases of anencephaly are detected during pregnancy and aborted.
q Baby Theresa’s parents volunteered her organs for transplant.
q The physicians agreed that...

Answer 4

wow- this is a tough question. My heart really goes out to the parents. The way I look at this is this-

if there were no ultrasounds, there would have been no way to know in advance and make these plans. Baby would have been born, they would have realized right away a problem, baby would have been on intense life support, diagnosed, and a decision would need to be made as far as terminating support. Then decisions could be made as far as organ donation.

However, this case is more complicated than this, because reading very briefly online, the child was born with part of her brain stem, which controls body functions. She was breathing *without* llife supoprt when born. ( brain stem controls vital functions such as heart beat, breathing, etc.) She lived for 9 days after birth. Although her brain stem was responsible for breathing,. etc. without the rest of the brain it could not continue to function. So, technically, even though she would eventually succumb to the condition, what the parents were asking for was to go ahead and terminate her life by removing the organs in advance of death for them to be harvested.

In ethical terms, for me, I think it was best that they let nature take its course, and her death be by natural causes, not brought about by removal of her heart, etc. And in terms of the doctors, I feel thats the only ethical and legal option they hvae- they cannot cause death by organ removal. I dont think any of us want that to be ok in our society.

Thakns for a great question.

Answer 5

I think the parents were trying to be sure some good came of what is a horrible tragedy for them.

As to waiting until she is dead, well, I understand that too. If doctors cross the line that defines who is legally dead, it is a slippery slope that could lead to people becoming donors who might be able to recover.

While that is not the case here, law is established by precedent, and this is one, few wish to establish.

Answer 6

I had a friend who was pregnant and her baby had this condition. She did not abort him, but she planned his funeral and everything. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen her go threw. IF the parents want to do this and save another child, then they should feel free to do so. The baby has no chance of survival without a brain without machines, so they can unplug the machine and allow the child to die in dignity and feel a little comfort out of the fact their precious child was able to save another precious child.

Answer 7

I researched this, and the story really touched my heart. I would not know what to do if something like this happened. I think the parents were unselfish in wanting to help other babies when they knew their daughter didnt have a brain. They could have simply chose to allow her organs to die with her.

Answer 8

Here's what my mother told me to tell my teacher, when my teacher told me I had to have something. She told me to "tell her to buy it for you", so if florida want the baby to live they should talk all the responiblity, and guilt from the babies parents, but since they can't take the guilt they need to let that child go, she's/he's already dead, but a doll who took human form.

Answer 9

Umm...I didn't hear about this story but I would never donate my baby's organs to another if she was alive, even if she didn't have a brain. That's horrible. Poor little baby's soul.

Answer 10

I think the parents were trying to achieve the most positive outcome from a really horrific situation.