Bottom line, though no one is admitting it: The United Kingdom's socialized health care system is financially strained, and it costs too much to keep Charlotte alive.
Unquestionable reality: Some types of medical care are expensive, and resources are not limitless.
Critical Question: Who should make medical decisions for you and your loved ones? Some would say the ultimate authority should rest with some form of government, whether legislative, judicial, or a medical review board, because otherwise the limited resources will end up going to those with the most money rather than those who are most deserving. I would argue that someone who doesn't have enough money for medical care has room for appeal: insurance, friends and family, charities, other governmental programs, fundraisers, pleas to the general public. It may not be easy, but there is room for hope. Where can you turn when an institution, under the influence of philosophies that may differ vastly from your own, decides that you—or your child, or your parent, or your spouse—no longer deserve to live?
Focusing on Charlotte's quality of life, or on what decisions you would make were she your own child, only distracts from the vitally important issue: Who has the authority to make life and death decisions for you and your family?
If you believe that we can trust governmental and institutional authorities to make the wisest decisions, I have a public school system and a war in Iraq to sell you.
