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Thank you Paul. It is good to have the FULL article and ALL the different views and voices relating to this particular issue. It does change the viewpoint I was beginning to formulate somewhat. Best wishes Mairian >In light of some recent discussion on this list, I thought this article >would be of interest. > >Paul K. Longmore >Professor of History >San Francisco State University >1600 Holloway Avenue >San Francisco, CA 94132 >phone: 415-338-6498 >fax: 415-338-7539 > > >July 25 1999 > BRITAIN > > > > Hospital refuses new heart to > Down's child > > by Lois Rogers > Medical Correspondent > > > THE family of a nine-year-old girl stricken by heart defects > has been told she will never be considered for a transplant. > Her local health authority says that because she is a Down's > syndrome child she is not eligible for any donor organ. > > Katie Atkinson, from Sheffield, is dying from the > accumulated heart problems often found in Down's > syndrome children, but her parents say that Leeds General > Infirmary told them that Down's children are not considered > for transplantation because their "quality of life" is not good > enough. > > Katie's plight highlights the discrimination against > handicapped people in the NHS rationing lottery and the > wide policy variations between different areas of the country. > > At Great Ormond Street hospital in London, by contrast, > doctors have recently identified two other Down's syndrome > children as suitable candidates for heart-lung transplants > identical to the operation that Katie needs. > > Her family recognise that Katie may have only a short time > left. "We can't stand by and do nothing," said her father > Philip Atkinson. "It was a shock to find that in the end, they > are not prepared to help her because she is a second- class > citizen." > > Katie attends a special school. Her speech is hard to > understand, but she is continuing to make progress and her > father is convinced she has much further potential still to > achieve. > > "They are ruining more than her life. We will all be > devastated by losing her. My wife and I are committed to > doing everything we can for her," said Atkinson. > > The case mirrors that of Christian Adey, 14, from Bradford, > another Down's syndrome child, whose family have been > told he would be unlikely to withstand the strain of transplant > surgery even if it were available, because he did not receive > preliminary repair surgery early enough. > > "We were told it was not worth doing operations on Down's > children because they grow up to be institutionalised," said > his mother, Marilyn Adey, who is fighting for compensation > for her son's lack of treatment. > > Lesley Herbertson of Alexander Harris, a Manchester legal > firm acting for Adey, knows of a number of similar cases: > "Down's children are put to the bottom of the list because > they are considered less important than normal children," she > said. "They are not offered all the options that would be > offered to a normal child." > > Down's syndrome covers a spectrum from mild to severe > mental handicap, but sufferers are often exceptionally > friendly, good-natured people. Campaigners for them argue > that their contribution to society is a matter of interpretation. > > Penny Green of the Down's Heart Group, which represents > 700 families, said the issue of transplantation was becoming > more important because more children were now surviving > into adulthood. > > "Is someone's life worthless because they will not make > millions for the country? It is a basic human right that these > children are treated as individuals and not subjected to a > blanket ban," she said. > > The two children seen at Great Ormond Street were > considered not yet sick enough to be put on the waiting list > for the heart-lung transplant, because the operation is > performed only as a last-ditch effort to save lives. Only 40% > of patients survive for five years. > > Philip Rees, the heart specialist involved, was aware some > doctors opposed transplanting Down's children, but said > there was no reason why they should be denied the chance > of treatment if medical and social issues were fully > considered. > > " If the sickest patient on the transplant waiting list happens > to have Down's syndrome, that is not a reason to refuse the > operation," he said. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%