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Charlie Gard: A View From History

Much of our nation is captivated by the story of little Charlie Gard. His parents are in a desperate battle against the British government for the right to even attempt to save the life of their newborn son.

In the summer of 2010, NC Family released an in depth analysis on a lethal shift that occurred in America more than 100 years ago, when many veered away from the attitude that all life is valuable, toward a view that not all life is worth living—or saving.

The article contends that tragic events like those surrounding newborn Charlie Gard in England may have their roots in a eugenics movement that originated in the United States in the 1900s, and which continues to emerge in different forms to this day.

Charlotte, NC Attorney Mary Summa wrote in Family North Carolina magazine seven years ago:

Traditionally, public policy has upheld a “sanctity of life” ethic, that the intentional killing of innocent human life is always morally wrong. Yet now, family members are being encouraged to “let go” of their infant with severe deformities, to “let go” of their mother with Alzheimer’s, or to “let go” of their brother who was severely brain-damaged from a car accident. Such doctors and others in the medical profession are orchestrating their deaths, many times over the objections of the patient or loved ones. They say a life “not worth living” is not worth saving either. Medicine’s shift from a “sanctity of life” ethic to a “quality of life” morality endangers the lives of all of us.

Clearly, as the case of little Charlie Gard illustrates, “society’s acceptance of destroying the most vulnerable of human life threatens the lives of everyone.” Please join NC Family in praying for Charlie Gard, his parents, and all those affected by this heartbreaking situation.

Click here to read the article, “Do No Harm: The Shifting Standard in Medicine,” which is as relevant today as when it was written in 2010.

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