Unspeakable Conversations
The medical reality of the debate between Harriet McBryde Johnson and Peter Singer is more nebulous than the clear division of their views (Feb. 16). In this day, parents who don't want deformed children have them aborted. When deformed or seriously ill infants are born, parents want 'full support' for their child. Physicians are reluctant to step in to play God and deny the support. Then, once full support has started, it is easily expanded to include surgically placed feeding tubes for nutrition and tracheostomy tubes for chronic ventilator support. Having started, it is incredibly difficult to stop. At some point we see the devastation created by our advanced medical support and then the debate starts. We have allocated the resources to prevent these deaths, and indeed, there have been numerous (productive) lives saved by this approach. Many devastated children have also been saved. The cost of their care is the 'tax' we pay for living in the most advanced medical environment in the world.
Paul McCormick  Edina, Minn.