As I sort through the latest news and resources this week I keep running into the story of Amelia, a lovely little girl who needs a kidney transplant. Everywhere I turn there is Amelia and her Mom.
Their story. Their Family. Their Love.
And someone else in control.
Someone else deciding the value of Amelia’s life.
Someone else who isn’t her Family.
Someone else playing the role of King Solomon.
I don’t know the right thing to do here, not because she is not my Child and not my Patient but rather because I don’t believe there is an ultimate, definitive right answer.
That being said, the situation raises some very important issues. Ones I think need to be carefully reviewed, thought about, and discussed. Here are a few of the articles that I feel present as many sides of the situation as possible. I encourage you to read them. Think about them. Talk about them.
Brick Walls – written by Amelia’s Mom
Who Deserves a Kidney Transplant?
Denying A Transplant To A ‘Retarded’ Child?
It is very important to look at all sides in this situation because it is about more than Amelia. It is about other people, other Families, too.
At the end of the day however, there will be no clarity. No right answer. No correct policy or law. We will never know if the right decision was made. That makes this conversation even more important.
