Six years ago, America was captivated by the case of Terri Schiavo, a woman being kept on life support by a feeding tube. Schiavo's husband wanted to remove the tube, stating it was his wife's wish, while her family disagreed, arguing for her to continue being on life support.
The case divided America thoroughly. Liberals tended to argue for removing the tube, making the argument that she had the right to die, while conservatives argued for keeping the tube in, and many considered it murder to take it out.
Now, a similar case is occurring in Canada, this time involving a 13-month-old boy. The boy has been kept on life support since last fall and is currently in a vegetative state.
One important distinction between this situation and the Schiavo case is that this time around, death is inevitable. The doctors have ruled that the boy's neurodegenerative disease leaves him without hope.
Knowing that the child will more than likely die, the debate is about the manner in which he will die.
Last week, a Canadian Superior Court judge ordered that the breathing tube keeping the boy alive be removed. After the ruling was set down, the parents asked for a tracheotomy to take place, but the doctors refused.
In the aftermath of this, there has been a debate about whether or not this case could be seen as an example of the flaws of Canadian health care. While many Americans support and wish the United States would employ a similar system, others have argued against it, believing the government would play too much of a role in our medical lives.
As this story has gained traction, many conservatives have argued that this story proves that Canadian health care is heartless and doesn't care about the well being of its citizens.
The Spectrum strongly disagrees. The fact is, what's going on here would likely go on at an American hospital, as well. Considering that the child will die under any circumstances, it is unrealistic to expect a hospital to spend a great deal of time worrying about how painful his death is.
Quite simply, hospitals have greater priorities. This may seem grim, but it's a fact of the business. We certainly can sympathize with the boy's grieving family, but it seems silly to paint this story as a condemnation of Canada's health care system.
When the boy's parents attempted to transfer him to a Detroit hospital, it also refused to perform the tracheotomy. This shows that the Canada is no less cold or heatless than America is when it comes to this situation. The people trying to say otherwise are simply grasping for straws.
