Playing “God”

From our new columnist Jonathan Lowrey:

Yesterday on the cover of the St. Joe News Press, the paper covered the story of a severely brain damaged young girl who is to be kept in a child-like state by using hormone therapy and surgery to prevent her from aging. At my place of employment, I heard the gasps of many people as they appear to be horrified at the disfiguration of a helpless girl. The motives behind the parent’s decision for this radical treatment have been attacked as being selfish and dangerous. Specifically, I’m referring to persons claiming that to mess with the maturing of a person is to essentially play God. The act of keeping Ashley a little girl couldn’t have anything to do with the level of care that the parents could provide for her, right? The challenge I offer to God’s hall monitors is to stay consistent. What has not been discussed in the mainstream is the fact that Ashley is currently being kept alive through being fed by a tube, but maybe we can excuse that, right?

The church has not advocated for ceasing surgical removals of cancer, or treatment of allergies or even vitamin supplements for nutritional deficiencies. On the back of every good [insert protestant religion of choice]’s drivers license should be a “Do Not Resuscitate” clause. My point is that society plays God every day, and we welcome it with open arms. The unique cases such as Ashley are suddenly viewed differently because most church-goers don’t have to think about it.

There certainly are those in the world who stick by their good book at the destruction of those around them. Take for example the case of a preacher who refused to allow surgery to remove bone cancer from his daughter. She, as being a 12 year old girl, could not possibly understand the repercussions of “trusting God” to take care of her. Society has stepped in, and a Judge ordered treatment in spite of her father’s wishes. Why? Because life could be better if science stepped in. Keeping Ashley as a child will improve her life in the future. Playing “God” isn’t just okay when the ailment is common.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2124295.ece
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9804E1DC1138F93BA2575AC0A965948260