What Makes a Worthy Life and Who Gets to Decide?

Alfie Evans is a 23-month-old child who has the misfortune of living in the United Kingdom where the government “provides” health care for its citizens.
But only for the citizens it deems worthy of life. And it does not deem Alfie Evans worthy of life.
He’s in a “semi-vegetative state,” they say. A vegetative state means a patient shows ” no evidence of awareness of self or environment and cannot interact with other people.” Therefore, a “semi-vegetative state” would indicate the child is sometimes aware or sometimes can interact.
Alfie suffers from “a degenerative neurological condition that has never been definitively diagnosed by medical specialists.”
So perhaps they don’t know what they don’t know. Perhaps they could err on the side of life.
Even so, the government insisted on taking Alfie off life support. But all did not go as expected. Once off the ventilator, Alfie continued to breathe.
Medical personnel then planned to actively euthanize (i.e. kill) Alfie with a fatal injection of Fentanyl, but, as Alfie’s father says, “the execution” was halted as the family’s attorneys and the Italian government pleaded for his life.
Currently, Alfie is receiving oxygen. Medical personnel resisted administering oxygen until the child had breathed on his own for some time. He continues to breathe on his own today.
The Italian government offered the family immediate citizenship and medical care. All they needed to do was go to Italy at no cost to British taxpayers. A medical air ambulance stood by Wednesday at the request of Pope Francis.
But the UK insisted–as it did in the case of Charlie Gard–that the child may not leave the country to receive medical care that could extend his life.
Late Wednesday, the British courts denied separate appeals by both parents. Justice Anthony Haydon of the High Court ruled that “the order to end Alfie’s life support should commence at 9 p.m. Monday.” Medical personnel expect Alfie to die before then.
But a pediatrician from Poland says, “the child is not a dying child.” Alfie responds to the sound of his father’s voice. He communicates. In Poland, such children receive care, she says.
If he dies between now and Monday, we will be left to wonder whether he died from his condition or from a lack of care.
If he dies next Monday, say, around 9 pm, the cause of death will most assuredly be medical intervention, that is to say, execution.
The court’s decree ensures that UK courts will continue to hold power over life, death, and the implementation of “care” for Great Britain’s weakest members.
God save the British Empire.
God forgive them for such sins.


More: BBC


Photo Credit: Honey News

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21 Replies to “What Makes a Worthy Life and Who Gets to Decide?”

  1. This is heartbreaking. And a situation where I have to remember to hate the sin, not the sinner. It’s so hard to understand how Satan can convince people so thoroughly of his lies that human life is not worth it.

  2. It is these ongoing assaults on innocent human life in Western countries that show us that the governments in the West are becoming totalitarian in nature. We can no longer call these nations Christian. A more correct assessment would be to call these post-Christian societies. (And, the medical profession needs reforming so that its members will refrain from causing deaths.)

  3. Hi Nancy!
    I was touched by Alfie Evans story. This is so sad to read about and I cannot understand why countries with a Christian culture act this way.
    With love,
    Edna Davidsen

  4. Thanks for reading and commenting! Please pray for people in authority–even in medical authority–and prayer for awakening and revival. God bless!

  5. Hi Nancy – thank you so much for writing about this travesty. You have brought up many good points about what qualifies as a life worthy of living and who should decide this issue. My first reaction was that is must be because the Brits don’t want to foot the bill, but then I see that other countries have offered to take the child and pay for his medical care. So then, what’s the deal? Why keep the child in Britain when others have offered to care for him? This makes absolutely no sense to me. I think this shows a bit of madness on the part of the government, and that is frightening.

  6. What a terrible situation for His parents. How wrong can it be when the technology and resources are there but MAN says it’s not allowed.
    They must be beside themselves in pain and frustration.
    I often say to my wife ‘ it would be a different story if this happened to the people that say NO ‘
    Sad, sad post

  7. Thank you for sharing on this very important battle going on in UK. Because of all the international pressure, I believe the hospital is close to settling with the parents to allow them to take Alfie home and to care for him there. All of these posts and media attention certainly shed light on the current state of euthanasia in our world and the desire people have to wipe out anyone with a disability.

  8. This is so sad. Sometimes with situations like this, I wonder if God knew these things would happen, and if the “abide by the law” command is still relevant – but then again, God knew and knows everything that will happen, so it must still stand firm. What a terrible situation these parents are going through. Thanks for shedding light on this.
    Sydney Meek | meeklyloving.com

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  10. This is, indeed, one of the worst stories I’ve heard, which covers so much (e.g., the abuse of gov’t power, personal rights, violation of human rights, etc.).

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