Thank you for a wonderful article. I went to the BNA webpage, it says they are not accepting any referrals currently. Hopefully they are able to open up again soon!
Question--if a baby is truly anencephalic, with no brain at all, would it be moral to declare them "brain dead" and then the woman could deliver? As the woman is not actually committing abortion in that case (if you take the definition of abortion as the killing of the unborn)? I don't like this slippery slope, and you really can't declare someone "brain dead" while they are in the womb, but I wonder if medical ethicists have weighed in on this?
There are different degrees of severity with anencephaly. Some babies may be born with portions of the brain, brain stem or none at all. Either way, baby's heart is still beating, the baby continues to grow, metabolizing nutrients as any other child in utero. The baby moves and kicks like any other infant as well. So while using a functional MRI they might be able to determine if there is any brain activity at all, I doubt it could be considered moral when the child is clearly alive.
To your other comment. BNA is shifting focus to train more peer ministers who can do help others as they helped Jane, in order to reach more people. From their website: "BNA’s targeted efforts in support of service development over the next several months will insure that parents experiencing a prenatal diagnosis find comprehensive case management support in the state in which they live."
I found the discussion of early induction odd, since "before the baby reach[es] full term" is not, as far as I can tell, the line that Catholic bioethics usually draws. The standard line seems to be viability, and then after viability there is prudential judgement involved about why early induction is being done. (See e.g. https://www.ncbcenter.org/resources-and-statements-cms/summary-early-induction-of-labor)
There is absolutely a prudential judgment involved when considering early induction after viability. However, that prudential judgment is a medical judgment that must consider the life and health of the mother, the life and health of the child. The anencephalic child will not die from anencephaly in utero and it is unknown how long the child will live after birth. It is possible for some children with this diagnosis to live for a time after birth. For some, the body' automatic processes (like breathing) will kick in after birth. This is the danger of lethal language, calling the diagnosis "fatal," rather than "life-limiting". The diagnosis shortens the child's life, but we don't know by how much. Inducing before the child is full term, in this case, is probably more a matter of thinking, "well, the child will die anyway" and then acting intentionally in a way that will shorten the child's life, instead of considering how to make this child's life last as long as is natural. To say it is simply a matter of prudential judgment could be misleading for some because one's judgment may not be fully informed.
What a beautiful example of Catholic laity taking the initiative of their Confirmation and just doing the work! Bishop Jugis guided them well to stay independent and not be subsumed under the diocesan structure. The Church's work includes so much more than the work of the dioceses!
Thank you for a wonderful article. I went to the BNA webpage, it says they are not accepting any referrals currently. Hopefully they are able to open up again soon!
Question--if a baby is truly anencephalic, with no brain at all, would it be moral to declare them "brain dead" and then the woman could deliver? As the woman is not actually committing abortion in that case (if you take the definition of abortion as the killing of the unborn)? I don't like this slippery slope, and you really can't declare someone "brain dead" while they are in the womb, but I wonder if medical ethicists have weighed in on this?
There are different degrees of severity with anencephaly. Some babies may be born with portions of the brain, brain stem or none at all. Either way, baby's heart is still beating, the baby continues to grow, metabolizing nutrients as any other child in utero. The baby moves and kicks like any other infant as well. So while using a functional MRI they might be able to determine if there is any brain activity at all, I doubt it could be considered moral when the child is clearly alive.
To your other comment. BNA is shifting focus to train more peer ministers who can do help others as they helped Jane, in order to reach more people. From their website: "BNA’s targeted efforts in support of service development over the next several months will insure that parents experiencing a prenatal diagnosis find comprehensive case management support in the state in which they live."
I found the discussion of early induction odd, since "before the baby reach[es] full term" is not, as far as I can tell, the line that Catholic bioethics usually draws. The standard line seems to be viability, and then after viability there is prudential judgement involved about why early induction is being done. (See e.g. https://www.ncbcenter.org/resources-and-statements-cms/summary-early-induction-of-labor)
There is absolutely a prudential judgment involved when considering early induction after viability. However, that prudential judgment is a medical judgment that must consider the life and health of the mother, the life and health of the child. The anencephalic child will not die from anencephaly in utero and it is unknown how long the child will live after birth. It is possible for some children with this diagnosis to live for a time after birth. For some, the body' automatic processes (like breathing) will kick in after birth. This is the danger of lethal language, calling the diagnosis "fatal," rather than "life-limiting". The diagnosis shortens the child's life, but we don't know by how much. Inducing before the child is full term, in this case, is probably more a matter of thinking, "well, the child will die anyway" and then acting intentionally in a way that will shorten the child's life, instead of considering how to make this child's life last as long as is natural. To say it is simply a matter of prudential judgment could be misleading for some because one's judgment may not be fully informed.
What a beautiful example of Catholic laity taking the initiative of their Confirmation and just doing the work! Bishop Jugis guided them well to stay independent and not be subsumed under the diocesan structure. The Church's work includes so much more than the work of the dioceses!
This is such great work. A dear friend of mine lost her son to a form of encephaly. He lived for a week and was such a blessing.
Thank you for this article. What a blessing this organization is for families facing such a difficult prognosis!
Thank you so much for writing this beautiful story!