Article Text
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Dominic Wilkinson suggests that one of Schubert’s songs has relevance for neonatologists today. In the song, Schubert suggests that death sometimes comes as a friend. Wilkinson ponders whether the song has a message for doctors and parents, who sometimes struggle to figure out whether death is an enemy or a friend to a dying baby.
Wilkinson reflects on the case of baby ‘Hal’, who was born with serious cardiomyopathy. Hal’s parents and doctors disagree about whether to withdraw life-support. Through his recreations of their discussions, Wilkinson shows how hard it is to confront—and maybe even welcome—death for a child. While adults often frame their own decision to forego life-sustaining treatment with thoughts that they have lived a good life, death in childhood can seem unfair because it robs the child of their opportunity to live a good or completed life. Much as we try, we cannot really imagine what a critically ill neonate experiences or desires.
We have very little insight into Hal’s interests or subjective experience. Without direct access to the child’s experience, it is impossible to know whether, like an adult, a child would choose to allow death to occur. We cannot verify the claim that the child’s death was good in the sense that it was good for them.
Wilkinson proposes that a prolonged dying process …
Footnotes
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.
Request Permissions
If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.
Copyright information:
Linked Articles
- Feature article
Read the full text or download the PDF:
Other content recommended for you
- Sleep softly: Schubert, ethics and the value of dying well
- Withdrawing life support and resolution of conflict with families
- Advanced and end of life care: cautionary suggestions
- Performing the good death: the medieval Ars moriendi and contemporary doctors
- Good concordance between patients and their non-professional carers about factors associated with a ‘ good death ’ and other important end - of - life decisions
- What has philosophy got to do it? Conflicting views and values in end - of - life care
- Lingering death after treatment withdrawal in the neonatal intensive care unit
- Do Not Resuscitate orders and ethical decisions in a neonatal intensive care unit in a Muslim community
- The agony of agonal respiration: is the last gasp necessary
- ‘ It ’s a hard conversation to have ’. Healthcare professionals ’ views concerning advance care discussions with young people affected by life - limiting neuromuscular diseases: an interview study