Baby Miracletina II

I've been reading some things written about her and peoples' comments about her.

This I read from the Electric Newspaper.

Baby won't survive, so why give false hope?

EVEN doctors gave up on her when she was born with severe birth defects.

30 December 2007

EVEN doctors gave up on her when she was born with severe birth defects. But her parents never lost hope. They fed her with a plastic pipe as her malformed nose and mouth could not function properly. According to the Samoan Post, doctors even told her parents not to bother feeding their deformed baby. That way she would soon die hours after she was born. But today, the four-month-old Samoan baby - named Miracletina - can raise her head, has suffered no illnesses and responds to family members. And while Miracletina is making progress daily, her parents suffered a huge setback when she was denied a visa to enter New Zealand. She was to go there for expert medical assessment of her deformities which include deformed feet, no fingers, no eyeballs, a double cleft palate and spina bifida. New Zealand immigration officials explained their decision, saying that expert medical treatment would not help Miracletina survive. In a statement yesterday, New Zealand immigration official Ms Mary Anne Thomson said that 'treatment could not cure (Miracletina's) condition and further assessment and surgery had no part to play'. EXPERT OPINIONS She said: 'Three New Zealand medical specialists, including a paediatrician, a craniofacial surgeon and a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, have all concluded that treatment is not advisable and will not benefit Tina's quality of life. 'Travel to New Zealand would offer false hope and possibly unrealistic expectations.' She added that if medical experts changed their opinion about Miracletina, New Zealand immigration authorities would be 'willing to reconsider a visa'. Supporters managed to raise US$78,000 ($112,000) for Miracletina through donations in Samoa and New Zealand. Miracletina's parents, Mr Sefuli and Mikaele Nanai declined to comment, saying they were too distressed. But they have not lost hope. According to Ms Gardenia Aukuso, who organised the fund-raising campaign for Miracletina in New Zealand, the baby and her parents have flown to American Samoa for a computer scan of Miracletina's brain. Ms Aukuso told Associated Press that: 'We will give that CAT scan to doctors (in New Zealand) and if there is hope (that surgery will assist the baby) we will have her come here. 'If there is no hope, we will give the funds to Miracletina for her care.' - AFP

So it is, the question of morality. Some people commented on how the parents should just leave the baby to die and not having her as a burden on them the parents. Or why let the baby suffer?

As a parent, sometimes I would ask myself, if I were to be her parents would I just leave her to die? And would it be a sin and unfair to let her live if she were to live not a normal life? It is such a really really sad thing and real hard decision. When I look at the picture where the mother was feeding her with a syringe, I saw how Miracletina opened her mouth to accept from her mother, makes me feel how much she wants to live on.
I really can't help feeling that the world sometimes can be really unfair.

To see her pictures, click here and scroll down.