British court: Disabled 12-year-old, Nancy Fitzmaurice, can be euthanized
A high court in Britain has ruled that a mother of a severely disabled twelve-year-old girl can have her euthanized. Critics argue that this sets a dangerous precedent, calling it “horrific” and “terrifying.”
Nancy Fitzmaurice and her mother Charlotte photo/Facebook
Charlotte Fitzmaurice Wise was given legal authority to euthanize her daughter, Nancy, who was born blind and suffers from hydrocephalus, meningitis and septicaemia. Nancy needed round-the-clock care.
Charlotte told judges that pain killers were not helping Nancy. “My daughter is no longer my daughter, she is now merely just a shell,” she was quoted as saying in an article earlier this year. “The light from her eyes is now gone and is replaced with fear and a longing to be at peace. Today I am appealing to you for Nancy as I truly believe she has endured enough. For me to say that breaks my heart. But I have to say it.”
This is the first time the British courts have allowed for a child who was not suffering a fatal disease or on life support to be euthanized.
Disability activist Joni Eareckson Tada, who is a quadriplegic, author and founder of Joni and Friends International Disability Center, said that the decision will “open the door” for other guardians to euthanize their loved ones based on something as subjective as “quality of life.”
“The judge’s statement sets a precedent that quality of life now becomes a measuring rod as to whether or not a child with a disability should live or die. That’s horrific. That’s terrifying,” Eareckson Tada said in an interview with The Christian Post.
