You may be aware of the plight of little Charlie Gard, a terminally-ill baby in the UK who is likely to be taken off life support by his hospital thanks to court orders–despite the fact his parents have raised more than $1.5 million to pay for experimental treatment for Charlie in the U.S.
John Stonestreet at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview writes,
[D]octors at Britain’s Great Ormond Street Hospital have decided that Charlie’s condition is hopeless, and that he should be left to die. Britain’s High Court agreed, and the European Court of Human rights refused to intervene after Charlie’s parents appealed. The doctors now have the legal go-ahead to take Charlie off life support. . . .
Those are the facts as I understand them. But now here’s why this case is so important, both for the sake of Charlie and his family, and for our civilization.
First, the government should have no role in dictating when and where a baby should die, and whether his parents can seek additional treatment options. The decision by the British High Court is an appalling overreach, and it sets a very dangerous precedent. In worldview terms, the government is well beyond its sphere of sovereignty, gobbling up authority that rightfully belongs to the family and to the church.
Second Peter clarifies that the civil authorities are ordained by God to reward good and punish evil. Great Ormond Street Hospital and the British and international courts have determined it’s time for little Charlie to die, regardless of how many people around the world want to help him by paying for transportation and additional treatment. They won’t even allow him to die at home. They’ve effectively asserted ownership over this little boy and his life. This is unambiguously wrong.
You can read Stonestreet’s entire commentary here or listen to it below.
[audio:http://breakpoint.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/070617_BP.mp3|titles=Charlie Gard’s Death Sentence]Photo Credit: By Brian Turner (Flickr: My Trusty Gavel) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
