“The Death Of A Child & The Killing Of Parenthood”

Wednesday, May 02, 2018

This past week saw the death of Alfie Evans, a two-year-old boy from the UK with a degenerative brain condition. His medical case received major media (and especially social media) attention for the following reasons: Alfie's life was only continuing with the help of life-support devices (ventilator, etc), and since his doctors believed that he would never recover, they decided to remove all life support and let him die.

That's very sad, but it's not the most interesting part of this case. Alfie's parents were adamant that their son's life be preserved, but the hospital staff refused to treat him according to his parents' wishes. The matter was taken to the British high court, who ruled in favor of the hospital, effectively removing all of the parents' rights regarding the life of their son. Alfie's life support systems were removed two Fridays back, on April 23, and he breathed on his own for five days before passing away last Wednesday, April 28.

There may be several things which we would rightly be concerned about in this case, but I will address only this one: as Christians, we should have some major concerns when society outright objects to the fundamental elements of the family unit. The most disturbing thing about this case is that Alfie's parents were legally prohibited from doing what they judged to be in the best interest of their son. Even when the parents' wishes were bolstered by support from the Vatican and the Italian federal government, the British courts doggedly stood in the way of their right to procure medical treatment for Alfie. One of my favorite preachers said just this past Sunday, "Parental authority is an indispensable feature of a society that is both stable and civilized." And he is right. This removal of parents' rights toward the lives of their own children should trouble people who believe in God's plan for the family (remember Eph. 6:1-4).

What do we do about that? Well, our votes may help to prevent the same problem in our country. Perhaps our common voice may be heard through social media and other outlets. Perhaps we can find ways that our efforts in sacrifice and giving (Sunday night's sermon) will help change the culture in this regard. All of those may have some value. But God gave us one instruction that will make a difference:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."  (1 Timothy 2:1-4, ESV)

Brothers and sisters, pray for all who have influence in our culture. Politicians, college professors, celebrities, parents, courts & judges, social media tycoons... Pray for all who are in high positions, so that we may perennially live in a peaceful society that still values the God-ordained importance of the family.

- Dan Lankford, minister

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