I have seen two articles in recent weeks about doctors in Europe who want the door opened to “baby euthenasia” for severely handicapped babies. Apparently the problem is that scientific advancements have been made that are actually prolonging the lives of children once considered “terminal.” The Church of England has even given its blessing to this barbaric act. This is all done, of course, with an attitude of “mercy” and “compassion,” seeking the most high and noble goal of eliminating human suffering, and should concern us all. In the UK doctors offer embryo screening for 200 types of diseases – presumably with the idea that you can catch certain diseases ahead of time and then decide whether or not to continue the pregnancy. Although, truth be told, I understand that doctors are able to do amazing things with surgury inside the womb. And, again in the UK, two babies became the first to be born disease free after similar screening. This after the couple had to suffer the hardship of having a child with cystic fibrosis.

The underlying theme in all of these articles is that disabled children are a burden to parents and the health care system. According to one of the articles it is considered brave for parents and doctors to relieve their own suffering by killing an innocent child, rather that having to care for it and witness the effects of the disease. This is a backwards view of courage. True courage means facing our fears and accepting our sufferings. It is our trials and sorrows that give us strength (2 Corinthians 12:10). Our culture tells us that suffering is bad, but our Lord tells us that suffering is sanctifying (1 Peter 1:6-9).

Disabled children are not problems to be dealt with. They are human beings meant to be loved and cherished. To accept them is to accept God himself (Mt. 25:40).

Inspiration: Rush Limbaugh was talking about this yesterday and got a call from a woman responding to one lady’s assertion that, “unless you have lived with a child that has a terrible disability or disease then you can’t speak about it.” She is the mother of a severly disabled child and an inspiration to us all. Read the transcript or click on the blue button beneath the title to listen to the audio. (note: this link may not be available after a while).