“Do Not Resuscitate Very Early Preemies, Says UK Report.” bioedge.org. Bio Edge, 21 Nov. 2006. Web. 11 Oct. 2011.
This Bio Edge article addresses the debatable issue of whether or not preemies born very early should be saved. It gives examples of the extremely opposing views that doctors and parents have. The article also includes reliable examples of the challenges that families may face during and after the fight to save their preemie. The information is directed towards doctors, nurses, parents of preemies, and other family members. Its intent is to inform people that each situation is different. In other words, a preemie born relatively early may have a harder time fighting for its life than one born even earlier. Many doctors believe giving care to babies born earlier than 22 weeks in unnecessary. Others believe that an attempt should be made to save babies born between 24 and 25 weeks if their parents so wish. Why were the circumstances different for Charlotte Wyatt, who was born at 26 weeks? Doctors refused to make an attempt to save her because they believed she had no chance. In the end, she survived but faced many disabilities. The real question is, if doctors would have given her medical care to help fight for her life, would she have survived as a perfectly healthy little girl? Maybe she would have, but the question will always remain. Unfortunately, Charlotte’s handicaps put a lot of stress on her parents, who later split up because of it. Such handicaps that preemies may face have a large impact on families. On the other hand, the debatable issue still remains. How early should a premature baby be before no medical care is offered in an attempt to save it? Should a specific line be drawn at all, or should it be up to someone? Is it fair to families if doctors decided whether or not a preemie is saved, or should it be the parents’ choice? Bio Edge’s article brings about many unanswered questions open for discussion. It not only touches on the views of parents but also those of doctors, council members, and medical associations; therefore, the article does not lean towards one particular side. Overall, this article included a large range of information, along with real life examples. These items led to a very valid point – “every case is individual and every case should be judged on its own merits.” Although this article was full of opinions, I felt like it jumped back and forth quite a bit. As I do more research, I plan to continue reading unbiased articles, but may also try to read some very strong biased ones. In doing so, I feel I could find much more information and opinions from several sides of the argument. Again, this topic probably won’t interest those my age, but seeing that I have a niece who was born premature, it catches my interest!
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