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THE CASE OF Charlie Gard raises questions about what kind of medical information should be released to the public in life or death situations involving children, according to a prominent UK doctor.
Professor Dominic Wilkinson specialises in newborn intensive care and medical ethics at Oxford University and argues that there is a case for making such children anonymous.
Writing in the British Medical Journal today, Wilkinson says that anonymising such cases might be better for the child but could make fundraising more difficult for parents.
The court of public opinion “is surely the worst possible place for ethically complex decisions”, Wilkinson writes in the article.
The 11-month-old was born with a mitochondrial disease that saw him hospitalised at eight weeks and his condition rapidly deteriorate thereafter. A fundraising campaign saw €1.5 million raised online as his parents sought experimental treatment in the US.
British doctors argued that the treatment would not save Charlie and could cause him pain. A legal battle followed that attracted worldwide attention.
The acute focus on the case led to threats being made against doctors – as well as Charlie’s parents – and fuelled debates between pro-life and right-to-die advocates.
Under this intense media scrutiny, Wilkinson argues that unrealistic or unfounded claims may also have provided false hope and contributed to the protracted legal battle.
In the article, he explores a number of ways greater balance may be achieved in the future.
One of these options is anonymity, although he admits this would have drawbacks. It could:
Limit parents’ options, making it harder to fundraise for treatment and potentially harder to identify supportive expert opinion. It also conflicts with freedom of the press and raises concerns about a lack of transparency in decision-making.
Another possible option explored in the BMJ article is allowing medical professionals publish the medical evidence on which they are basing their decisions.
In the Charlie Gard case, this would have included the evidence which led to doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital concluding that experimental treatment was not in his best interest.
“That would enormously increase transparency, and help ensure that any wider discussion is based on relevant and verifiable facts. It would, however, breach the child’s confidentiality,” Wilkinson writes.
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I’d be popping round the Keith’s gaff for a quick chat about the whereabouts of that book
Hows he going to organise the oil spill? and he owes me a tenner because of last nights draw.
He predicted it on the 6th of November. Guards said it went missing between the 1st & 8th.. Got it right me arse.
Christina Gallagher better watch out, fresh competition.
Keith , and you tell me which pubI left my jacket in last night ? I was pretty wasted .
Can + pub I , still drunk
Americanization.
Here’s my predictions.
1. Next year will be 2015. (Had a dream about that one. I fell asleep with a diary on my face.)
2. It will rain next week. (I saw it in the tea leaves, oh hang on, thats actually fairy liquid in there, not sure what that means.)
3. The government will get into trouble. (I felt that one in my waters.)
4. Can’t tell you what this one is yet, I’m still rubbing my crystal balls!
For those of you who are wondering. I’m not a medium. I’m a XXL!!
Sounds very interesting Patrick, but if I may add a word of caution, don’t rub your crystal balls to vigorously, they have a tendency to explode if they get to hot…trust me I know.
He got it wrong with QPR and wasn’t even close with Adam Scott. Go back to the card tricks bucko!
So he made a prediction when the book was already stolen. Is he on the garda cb fréquencey by any chance?
My god this story
Any idiot can see the government are in trouble!
Pr stunt ( Keith is getting desperate ).
He said you’d say that.
So he has a garda on his pay role!
He would not be the first person to have a Garda on his payroll
He is on paddy power payroll , plenty of bets on Adam Scott and QPR this weekend. He is a MUG like the rest of us!!!
Went missing between the 1-8?
How could it have gone unnoticed for up to a week?
Not many people visiting churches these days
So he was “kind of right” about the book of Kells and completely wrong about the QPR v Man City result! His predictions aren’t going well so far!
He also wasn’t correct about Buncefield, he predicted a Gas Explosion, Buncefield was an oil and petrol explosion
In a country where they call petrol “Gas”.
Thats funny, I never knew the British called petrol gas, I knew the Americans did, the petrol was in a liquified state when the explosions occurred, the report even states it was an oil explosion.
Why is this nonsense even in the news, some clown looking for publicity with some nonsense predictions that he couldn’t even get right, Jesus wept.
He predicted QPR would break Man City yesterday. Load of bull
Hopefully keith will go missing next.
Anyone could make these predictions. In this case he definitely just knows someone up in Kells who passed on this info – it happened 10 days ago so c’mon lads, hardly the “prediction” of the century!
what a TIT
No no no ,no snow at Christmas please no no non
Is Keith Barry’s sponsor Paddy power or Betfair
Isn’t the one about metal on Mars sort of taken from Mass Effect??
Thsts no good to me, I stuck my lifes savings on qpr beating mancity, feckin ejit barry
I’m a Brit and we call it petrol same as you
he was kinda half right with qpr 2… they didn’t win… but then they didn’t lose either
He said they’d win. They didn’t. How is that ‘kinda right’
Some people are cracked in the head,, how is qpr not losing after Keith predicted a qpr win, a result for Keith Barry? Take a good hard look at yourself William you mong
Sound for the Qpr tip ya p**ck!
Euromillions Mr. Barry please, and if I win, I just might start believing you.
Crap, I asked him would my beloved Garth Brooks play in Ireland in 2015 but he didn’t respond. I need an answer Keith.
I’ll answer that one for you. Not a hope he’ll play. He’s nothing but an oversized American gobshine
“Gardaí in Kells believe it went missing between 1 and 8 of November.”
I suppose that’s meant to mean 1st and 8th?
Good man Joe ….
Actually Joe,
…the 1st and the 8th, although the second use of the definite article is optional.
And Paul – using 3 ellipses after a comma is frowned upon on this site. And I won’t even mention the use of a carriage return after the comma in case you get tarred and feathered
BULL CRAP: here are my predictions 1 The United States will dissolve 2 Israel will not be a state within ten years 3 Ireland will discover the largest oil supplies in Europe 4 Prince Charles will not become king of britain 5 Obama will be assassinated 6 Russia will become a member of the EU 7 Enda keeny will die in office 8 Labour will lose all its seats in the Dáil in the next election 9 This present pope is the last 10 There will be a cure for homosexuality within 20 years.
You’re right about the first nine Traolach – well done !
He’s right… His list is in fact , BULL CRAP!
well I don’t know what future you are reading Dec but the first nine are as clear as crystal in my ball !
Gardai believe it went missing between the 1st & the 8th. Doesn’t anyone check daily on the whereabouts of the book worth €15,000. Since this is a busy church in Kells did no one notice it was gone?
More predictions : 1Michael D will catch Ebola 2 Obama will become obese 3 Daniel O’ O’Donnell will run for president 4 Head of the Farmers union will be discovered as a closet vegetarian 5 Kerry will have a black all Ireland medal winner 6 A hurricane will strike Ireland on Christmas Eve and kill thousands 7 The Irish rugby player will only stand for the official national anthem 8 Mohammed grave will be found 9 Pat Kenny will choke eating a steak 10 A cure for cancer will never be discovered because it would cost the medical Industry a fortune.
now you’re being silly ….. and you had so much potential !..l.o.l. !
The book will probably be found safe and well shortly! Stunt!
I lost a fiver on QPR yesterday
Someone needed to get a bit of free publicity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JaRObcLsds
“Kind of right” good one.
I am Barry Keith Brainfarter.
thats the second book that was robed from kells, one is in dublins trinity colledge and the other one god knows where…
abboy ronnie of kells…
The cops will be chasing him after that… He’ll be a small medium at large…. I know, I know.
Darude Sandstorm
He robbed it himself after he f****d up saying qpr would beat city
More predictions
1 traveler woman elected to the dáil 2 ebola is brought back to Ireland by Michael D 3 the gospel according to Jesus is discovered 4 Ireland has a heath wave between may 10 and june 22 2014 5 Joan burton is a gay man 6 Michael collins memorial is knocked down to make way for a mosque 7 Enda kenny and Alan Shatter get married and adopt a black son 8 Christmas is outlawed by the EU 9 A traveler is given the freedom of Galway city 10 A large object will be discovered in the solar system heading for earth between march and april 2015
A Major Waters will drop a Mexican with a cracker, Enda Irish Govt – no backbone, Christmas Island will have heaviest influx of snow white Irish in its history, the stolen Book of Kells is missing, an Indian Mars bar for rover, Scottish Mc will do well to shanghai his Dowels, both QPR and Man City will not win, lose or draw this weekend, UK will have postal stamps, Prince Harry will see a pregnant girls scan. That is all from me folks – Barry Keith: Brainfarter.
How about his predictions about city losing? I want my money back
Nostradamus tried this years ago. It’s like people who live in Bookies. You only hear about the wins and not the losses.
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