I have spent the day away from Twitter, and have returned to several thousand notifications. It’s mostly the same angry, uninformed, badly-spelled hate, fuelled by idiots abroad and enemies of reason at home. I’m tired, so consider this thread my last word on the topic. [THREAD]
Nobody but the tragic handful of families who have had to attend court proceedings to litigate whether their child lives or dies can begin to imagine what Alfie’s parents are going through. That is I hope obvious, but worth bearing in mind. This story involves real human lives.
That said, people are of course entitled to form and express a view. Some will read the judgment and agree that the medical staff have done everything in their power to help, and that the court has reached the right decision in identifying what is in the child’s best interests.
Some will not. Some may disagree with the medical conclusions. Some may disagree with the principle at the heart of this case, namely that the best interests of the child take precedence over the wishes of the parents. (If this is your view, you may...
...want to ask yourself if there are any parental wishes you would *not* allow to be paramount. Genital mutilation, for example. If you say “Well yes, there must be limits when a child is at risk of suffering”, then you’re closer to the legal position than you perhaps realise).
But whichever view you lean towards, you should, I respectfully suggest, obey three rules of engagement before doing battle on this terrain.
Firstly, read the court judgments below. They contain all the relevant medical and legal info. They’re long and a bit complicated, but this is a complicated case. Acquaint yourself with the facts before deciding you are right and somebody else is wrong.
Secondly, don’t lie, or dissemble, or deceive. If your argument is good, make it on its merits. False claims of “socialised death panels” or “government murder” or doctors killing out of spite towards Alfie’s parents (see below), do nothing but spread misery. Just don’t. 
Thirdly and simply, if you can’t agree to those two rules, just leave the field. You are contributing nothing but uninformed, angry noise, either because Dunning-Kruger has got you, or because you spy an opportunity to exploit a family’s grief for self-promotion. Neither is good.
Finally, perhaps afford your opponents the generous assumption that they don’t revel in the killing or torturing of babies, but perhaps just have a different view on an incredibly difficult issue.
That’s it from me for tonight. Have a good weekend y’all. [ENDS]
That’s it from me for tonight. Have a good weekend y’all. [ENDS]
