Viable
I just read a news report here about a little premature baby, born at 23 weeks. The doctors were debating about whether or not to save her; apparently the decision rested on whether or not she would be "viable". The deciding factor on her "viability" would be weight: if on a scale she registered 1 pound, the doctors considered it worthwhile to try and save her.
Now, get this. One pound would denote that this infant was worth spending effort to save, because only at one pound would she survive. The little girl, when weighed, was just barely at 1 pound. She survived, now weighs 5 1/2 pounds, and is discharged from the hospital because she is doing so well.
Later, the doctors discovered that in reality, the infant had only weighed .84 pounds or 13 ounces. A pair of scissors had accidentally been left on the scale, adding that .16 pounds that made the difference between a fight to save a life or a passive death.
Since when does an arbitrary assessment of weight give someone a chance for life? This little girl would be dead unless that random pair of scissors had literally tipped the balance in her favor. She was clearly under the minimum weight for viability, yet she survived and is thriving. This is a miracle story for her and her parents (the girl's twin died a few weeks after the birth) but I see this also as a disturbing story from a pro-life standpoint. This child was clearly "viable" despite being beneath the weight limit, but the doctors saw no point in trying to save her until she passed that weight limit. If this is how we determine a life is to be saved, how many possible lives have we not saved?
Now, get this. One pound would denote that this infant was worth spending effort to save, because only at one pound would she survive. The little girl, when weighed, was just barely at 1 pound. She survived, now weighs 5 1/2 pounds, and is discharged from the hospital because she is doing so well.
Later, the doctors discovered that in reality, the infant had only weighed .84 pounds or 13 ounces. A pair of scissors had accidentally been left on the scale, adding that .16 pounds that made the difference between a fight to save a life or a passive death.
Since when does an arbitrary assessment of weight give someone a chance for life? This little girl would be dead unless that random pair of scissors had literally tipped the balance in her favor. She was clearly under the minimum weight for viability, yet she survived and is thriving. This is a miracle story for her and her parents (the girl's twin died a few weeks after the birth) but I see this also as a disturbing story from a pro-life standpoint. This child was clearly "viable" despite being beneath the weight limit, but the doctors saw no point in trying to save her until she passed that weight limit. If this is how we determine a life is to be saved, how many possible lives have we not saved?
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