Comments on: Religion v motherhood

By: Georgegirl

Georgegirl — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:18:18 +0000

I think you will find that in the case of children of Jehovers Witnesses a hospital can get them made wards of court and therefore administer a blood transfusion .
As a Catholic I have certain beliefs ( including that I do not agree with either abortion or euthanasia , I think they are both sinful and lacking in respect for the gift of life )however as a Christian I have to have respect for other Christian churches beliefs ( however wierd they seem to me )
This young woman clearly had strong and profound beliefs and was prepared to pay the ultimate price for them .
Our Lord himself gave his own life when he could have so easily run away or stopped his task , he chose not to do so .
There are lots of exampes in history of mothers who have sacrificed themselves for all sorts of reasons beliefs or causes , who are we to judge if they were right or not ?
Think of those women in the Second World War who left children to serve in the special operation executive .
Many were captured , tortured and ended in the death camps , should they therefore have stayed at home , I dont think so .
Perhaps those of us on this blog who do believe in God will give up a prayer for both this poor girl and her babies .

By: Welshcakes Limoncello

Welshcakes Limoncello — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:10:44 +0000

I agree with you, Ellee. When I heard this on the news, my reaction was, “Did she have no thought for those babies?” And awful for the medical staff, too.

By: Philipa

Philipa — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:51:53 +0000

Liz – 2000 years ago they might have called that a parable! Good one.

Whenever I read that this or that cut down, translated version of the Bible is preferred “because it is properly majestic, beautiful and memorable, as such a book ought to be”, I always remember this er.. parable. Hope you like it Ellee.

By: Liz

Liz — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:13:31 +0000

It reminds me of the joke about the man stuck on his roof during a flood. A lifeboat comes, a helicopter comes and … something else comes (This is why I don’t tell jokes!) He insists he is waiting for God to save him. He drowns and when he asks God why He didn’t save him, God replies, ‘I sent a lifeboat, a helicopter etc’.

Not that that is strictly relevant!

Anyway, Ellee, I absolutely agree. A complete waste of life. When something so simple could have saved her.

By: Flowerpot

Flowerpot — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 09:18:54 +0000

An interesting piece on BBC news this morning with a spokesman for the JWs this morning. he spoke well but said that if any member of their church disobeyed (not his word) about this, they would be thrown out. That might deter a lot of people. I worked with a JW and the mindset is very strange indeed. Completely blinkered. Quite scary.

By: Cheezy

Cheezy — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:48:07 +0000

A person’s religion precluding a doctor from saving their life is a very sad and silly waste… however, if I’m pro-choice and pro-euthanasia and pro individual rights generally (which I am), then I guess I have to support this person’s right to die, however stupidly.

By: jmb

jmb — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 02:20:17 +0000

I think this is a very sad story and how awful for the medical people involved too. Unfortunately she was a adult and could make this decision. I have never understood this aspect of that religion anyway.

By: Quasar9

Quasar9 — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:23:14 +0000

Elle, if there is no God
the question is simply should the state or medicine be allowed to (or even be obliged to)preserve life despite the wishes of the parents and/or relatives.

But if a ‘nurse’ puts do not resuscitate on your mother’s bed – you cannot sue the hospital nor the state.

If there is A God, you can rest assured they’ve probably gone to a far better place, than life in this valley of tears. So what or where is the problem?

As for killing others, most mothers it seems would sacrifice the child of another, to feed or defend their own. Note I say ‘most’ – not All. Thank God

By: Quasar9

Quasar9 — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:17:00 +0000

Hi Philipa,
during ‘holy communion’ one is drinking wine, Do this in memory of me: symbollically sharing – the blood & flesh – the wine & bread, fruits of the ‘earth’. Pretty Cosmic.

Should the State preserve life at all costs?
That is a good question. And how does the state decide whose life is worth preserving and whose not. Ability to pay firmly puts the decision on ‘god’ money.

As for doctors and surgeons genuinely dedicated to saving life, no matter what the damage, I wonder how many of their pastients would like to be free of the life of pain and/or misery science & medicine may have condemned them to ‘live’

By: Ellee

Ellee — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:36:58 +0000

Tom, true, it was “her body and her life”. But the story doesn’t end there. What makes this so very poignant is the fact that her two babies will have no mother. I actually believe in euphanasia in exceptional circumstances when a person’s life becomes intolerable. There should be some quality of life. A person should have the right to decide about their life. It’s the people left behind who always suffer the most, the loved ones.

I would very much like to be a UN elections observer, my MEP says he could recommend me, but warned me that there are dangers. He has done this himself and been held up at gunpoint. There is no way that I could do anything that would put my life at risk as my two sons need me as their mother, to me it’s the best job in the world. A husband can always find another wife, in time, but there will never be a replacement for true mother’s love. There is no other bond like it.