Professor emeritus Jerry Coyne, who works in the Department of Ecology and Evolution Biological Sciences at the University of Chicago, thinks that if it’s okay to abort a baby that has a disability, then it makes sense for a newborn with a defect to be euthanized. Coyne expressed his opinion on a blog post titled, “Should one be allowed to euthanize severely deformed or doomed newborns?” The post appeared on Coyne’s personal blog, “Why Evolution is True.”
According to Coyne, “If you are allowed to abort a fetus that has a severe genetic defect, microcephaly, spina bifida, or so on, then why aren’t you able to euthanize that same fetus just after it’s born? I see no substantive difference that would make the former act moral and the latter immoral.”
Coyne’s views line up with those of Peter Singer, a Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University who approaches ethical issues from a secular point of view. Both Coyne and Singer agree that euthanizing newborns with severe deformities should be considered an act of mercy, not murder. Coyne’s reasoning that it should be okay to euthanize a newborn is that these babies do not even have an awareness of death.
In his blog post Coyne discusses how there are times physicians and parents of a baby born with a severe defect simply remove care from newborns until they die on their own. There are no negative repercussions for doing so, as it is perfectly legal.
In fact, many hospitals offer the option of withholding life-saving medical interventions and call it “comfort care.” For example, if a baby is born with Hyperplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), the most severe type of congenital defect, a parent could simply agree to withdraw medical care from their baby and hold the baby until he or she passes away. Many physicians refer to this as “death with dignity.” It should be noted that with surgical intervention, babies born with HLHS have an excellent chance of survival and can go on to live a high quality life.
This is also true for other babies who at birth are given a dire diagnosis, but have often surprised doctors by surviving and going on to live a healthy life. If Coyne had his way, babies would not even be given a chance to defy the odds.
Coyne, who is a professed atheist, believes that if withdrawing care from a disabled newborn is perfectly legal, then ending their life with an injection should be, too. He also believes that killing newborns will one day be very common and widespread. He writes, “Although discussing the topic seems verboten now, I believe someday the practice will be widespread, and it will be for the better.”
Many people have criticized Coyne’s position on infanticide, which is something he says he is surprised by. In a follow up blog post, Coyne says, “I didn’t at all expect the outrage emitted by some news sites—all of them either conservative or religious—over my post about the morality of relieving the suffering of terminally ill, terminally deformed, or terminally diseased newborns by euthanizing them.”
Coyne goes on to defend his position saying, “Right now let me just add that we see no problem with euthanizing terminally suffering animals—animals that, as far as science can tell us from neurology and brain development, are at least as self-aware and sentient as a newborn human. Why are human newborns different from an adult horse, dog, or chimp?”
Coyne also says that religion is the main reason euthanizing newborns is not presently the norm. He thinks that because of religion, human beings are seen as “special.” He believes that one day religion will vanish and that when it does, opposition to euthanizing both adults and babies will disappear along with it.
Andrea Moury of the National Pulse says, “Though based on inherently flawed presuppositions showing a complete disregard of the dignity of human life, Coyne’s conclusion is logical. If one accepts abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide, nothing should keep him from also justifying infanticide. Although initially limited to only sick babies, just as abortion is now permitted under any circumstances, this slippery slope’s unavoidable destination is the justification of infanticide ‘on demand without apology.’ One hopes the public will realize this before society reaches that destination.”
~ Christian Patriot Daily
