FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Baby Joseph Maraachli: Ontario’s Anti-Family Health‘Care’
February 26, 2011, London, ON London Health Sciences Centre’s dealing with baby Joseph is disrespectful of the family!
Thirteen-month old Joseph Maraachli has a rare neurological disease. He is currently in at the London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario receiving medical treatment. Joseph’s parents, Sana Nader and Moe Maraachli, had requested that hospital perform a tracheotomy on Joseph so that he could go home to pass away in his home under the care of his parents. The parents believe with a tracheotomy, their son could breathe and live out the remainder of his little life from the comfort of his home. The hospital denied them this request.
Health care officials determined that Baby Joseph should be taken off his ventilator. A judge then compelled Moe Maraachli to comply with the decision to remove his son from the ventilator. Moe Maraachli did what every loving father would do, and would not consent. Joseph’s parents fear that without the ventilator, Joseph will suffocate and die. The hospital moved, then, to have an approval to remove the ventilator without parental consent.
Joseph’s parents tried to get him transferred to a Michigan hospital. On Wednesday, The Children’s Hospital of Michigan contacted the London Health Sciences Centre denying the transfer. The London hospital had been waiting to see if the boy could be transferred before pursuing the option of removing breathing tubes without parental consent. The hospital filed a request to remove the breathing tubes with the Ontario’s Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee.
This story is full of twists and turns. sounds like it comes out of an ethics textbook. But it doesn’t; it is a real story with real consequences for a real family. Phil Lees, Leader of the Family Coalition Party is most concerned about the disregard of the input of the parents, “The infringement on parental rights in this case is astounding. That a hospital would seek permission to bypass parents’ wishes and remove their baby’s ventilator is unbelievable. The family accepts that baby Joseph’s condition is terminal, but to actively seek legal support to go against the wishes of the family for a natural, unassisted death is anti-family.”
The family fears Joseph will suffer a painful choking death if the ventilator is removed. They have requested that doctors perform a tracheotomy on Joseph so they can take him home to die surrounded by family – the hospital has refused. The family’s Baby daughter, Zina, had a similar condition eight years ago; doctors performed the tracheotomy and Zina lived for six months after being taken home.
This issue will set a frightening precedent. The result could encourage other health care providers to disregard the life-respecting requests of patients, their families, and those with power of attorney for personal care. We must re-set the moral compass of the health care system. This issue matters to all Ontarians!
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Phil Lees, Leader of the Family Coalition Party
Phone - 905 538 5327 (office) 869 6334 (cell)
email – mailto:mainoffice@familycoalitionparty.com
http://www.familycoalitionparty.com/
