Reflection / Sean Gallagher

Respect God’s plan for putting care of children in the hands of parents

My oldest son, Michael, recently celebrated his 16th birthday. Some days, it’s hard for me to believe that he’s grown to become the young man that he is.

My amazement is in part related to my memories of the time when he was 14 months old, when his life was in question. Little Michael developed a bad case of pneumonia in the summer of 2003 that led to a two-week hospital stay. It involved him having a chest tube, being on a ventilator for a period and having surgery.

Thanks be to God and the wonderful work of the caregivers at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, we were able to bring Michael home.

As a new dad at the time, Michael’s life-threatening illness dramatically taught me just how much the lives of children are in the hands of their parents and those to whom they are entrusted.

I have returned recently to the memories of that time because of the case of Alfie Evans in England. Alfie had an undiagnosed degenerative neurological condition and was in a semi-vegetative state since December 2016 until he died on April 28, just days before his second birthday.

Alfie’s parents, Tom Evans and Kate James, believed that there were treatment options for their son that could have reduced the symptoms of his disorder. But officials of the hospital in which Alfie received care believed that no further treatment and assistance could have benefitted him, and took legal action that resulted in the termination of Tom and Kate’s parental rights.

Last week, Alfie’s ventilator was removed. This action was taken despite offers from officials in Italy to take Alfie to a hospital in Rome to receive treatment there. Alfie died a few days later.

Pope Francis spoke out publicly in support of Alfie and his parents in the days leading up to the child’s ventilator being removed: “Moved by the prayers and immense solidarity shown little Alfie Evans, I renew my appeal that the suffering of his parents may be heard and that their desire to seek new forms of treatment may be granted.”

I fully support government bodies stepping in to ensure the care of children in cases of neglect or abuse. But I believe that this was far from the case with Alfie Evans and his parents.

Although as an outsider my knowledge of the particulars of his case was limited, I believe it might have been morally acceptable for his parents to have withheld treatment for him. Nonetheless, I believe it was still within their rights to seek further treatment for him if that were their wish.

In any case, the decision should have been in the hands of his parents, not the hospital authorities. I believe that the British government did a grave injustice to Alfie and his parents in usurping his parents’ right and duty to care for him responsibly according to the dictates of their consciences.

God has placed children in the hands of parents and enabled them with the power of his grace to carry out the awesome duty of caring for and protecting them. This is especially the case for children when they are vulnerable and powerless like Alfie Evans. His parents loved him with all of their hearts and only sought his good.

The British government should have not only respected this plan for the care of children that God has inscribed in nature. It and all governments should indeed do all they can to facilitate that care and do nothing to impede it unnecessarily.

All parents need the prayers of all God’s people to carry out the tremendous duty given to them by God, and to experience the wondrous blessings that come with it. Let us pray for parents every day.
 

(Sean Gallagher is a reporter for The Criterion.) †