Is a tracheotomy an extreme measure?

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Joseph Maraachli, or “Baby Joseph” is a disabled Canadian infant who needed a tracheotomy to survive. But a Canadian hospital deemed it an extreme measure, refused the surgery, and planned to remove his ventilator before sending Baby Joseph home to die.

Baby Joseph’s parents fought this decision and after intervention by Priests for Life, he was sent to a Catholic Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. There, he received a much more optimistic diagnosis and a tracheotomy. Once again, he’s off the ventilator and being sent home, but this time not with a death sentence. “He’s breathing on his own just like you and me,” said Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life.

Why was Baby Joseph refused a non-extreme procedure? Why was he written off?  He had a condition that could one day claim his life, so he wasn’t worth saving. This is another example of our culture of death, and that needs to change.

Infant Rescued from Canadian Hospital
Charlie Butts | OneNewsNow | March 15, 2011

'Baby Joseph' -- Home At Last
Charlie Butts | OneNewsNow | April 21, 2011

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