Parents kill son and no gaol.

[ditch]

The parents of a severely disabled 28 year old who admitted killing him "to end his misery" left court yesterday without being gaoled for their crime.

Blind from birth and largely deaf, Matthew had the mental age of a child aged three or four.

His parents killed him in April 2001, the day before he was to undergo surgery for an ear infection that would likely have robbed him of his remaining hearing, sense of taste and limited powers of speech.

The method of killing the father used has not been revealed.

While I can sympathise with the parents plight, killing their son wasn't the way out of this. I also can believe their claims that they loved their son despite killing him. But, there has to be another way doesn't there? Or is society not able to appropriately deal with these rare situations in a way that offers a practical solution for those concerned?

More details from the SMH. (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/suffering-wont-end-for-mercy-killers/2007/04/05/1175366370242.html)

[ethics]

While I can sympathise with the parents plight, killing their son wasn't the way out of this. I also can believe their claims that they loved their son despite killing him.

Have you been in their shoes to know this?

[ditch]

Have you been in their shoes to know this?

Fortunately no. Killing is not the solution and can never be. There must be alternatives available for the parents if they cannot cope any longer. If they were full time carers then they must have access to a significant amount of relief in the form of community support of some type. Despite their apparent good intentions, killing their offspring has to be a solution they should never have had to consider.

Easy to sit here and say, I know.

[Stiofán]

We've touched on this subject some time back. Here's my experience with the subject. You may want to read the entire thread as well.

http://www.globalaffairs.org/forum/showpost.php?p=90562&postcount=13

[ditch]

I missed that thread originally, but yes, the circumstances are similar. The lack of availability of medically supervised, legal euthanasia forces the carer, if they find they can not cope, to resort to a means of dealing with the difficult circumstances in a non legal, socially unaccepted manner and then have to face court and a possible gaol sentence. Society has to adapt and learn how to deal with situations such as this. Right now, in most countries, we don't have the systems to deal appropriately.

Bad timing here. I'm about to leave for a few days over the Easter break. Catch up later.

[Stiofán]

Enjoy your holiday!

[Steelermatt90]

AWWWWWWKWARD!