Why does it seem that every other country in the world has its head screwed on better than the US?

A Norwegian court has awarded damages to disabled child for having been born. The child's parents had informed a midwife at the Leiden University Medical Centre that a relative of the father was disabled because of a chromosomal abnormality. But the midwife reassured them and did not carry out further prenatal diagnostic tests or refer the case to a clinical geneticist. The abnormality was therefore not detected early enough and Kelly was born with multiple mental and physical disabilities. She cannot walk, talk, or properly recognise her parents; has deformed feet; is believed to be in constant pain; and has had several heart operations. The court accepted that damage to Kelly and her parents resulted from the midwife's error. A referral to a clinical geneticist would have resulted in an abortion and Kelly would not have been born. Damages against the hospital amounting to the cost of Kelly's care and upbringing until her 21st birthday were awarded to her parents. But the court went further, ruling that Kelly herself was liable to damages. The court judged that the damage experienced by Kelly was in a legal sense a predictable consequence of the midwife's mistake. Therefore the court accepted the possibility of a claim for wrongful life.

This is fucking fantastic. One more move towards making the medical profession aware of what their responcibility really is - the prevention of problems - including lives that are non-functional. A pregnancy may not be a disease - but a defective genetic sequence certiantlly is, and it is one there is no cure for but death. Better to prevent it, especially in such a sevear case, than to condem a life to that much suffering.

I will use my power to help the sick to the best of my ability and judgment; I will abstain from harming or wrongdoing any man by it. Sound Familar!??
So what if the next part of the oath is now nolonger in application, nor is the rest of the majority of it, this is the one section that ALL medical professionals should adhear to.

Is not the introdcution of a life that is nothing but pain and suffering, as well as a drain on the parents and society, the ultimate harm to that child, who otherwise would never have been born?

Usually, I wouldn't mind not having woken up until 1pm. Today though, something about it is really bothering me today. I couldn't get to sleep when I wanted to last night, I had to get up early and then go back to sleep after that so I wasn't functioning on four hours of sleep for an entire day. *ponders* Maybe its the fact that I have been getting up at 10:30, 11ish, and then getting things done all morning before classes - and that I don't have that this morning. *grumbles* Who knows.

Anyway. Allot of you have probably been wondering what is up with me lately, why my blog hasnt been very informative. Well guess what, I'm not telling. :-P - so deal with it. Its a combination of finals getting close, family issues, and just plain bordom with the world. *sneezes* Oh yes, and allergies. On the up side, I've been feeling allot better about the whole rampway thing, and getting geared up for this summer. I just hope the other things that are going on aren't going to interfere with it as much as they could. Gah.

Anyway. That's enough of this narative nonsence. Time to recount the only dream I remember from last night, though it made no sense.

Its morning, I am getting ready for classes. In the bathroom, washing face and cleaning my glasses. As I am washing them, my glasses suddenly break - at the nose peice - into two halves. Now blind, I have to figgure out how to get myself to LensCrafters, get my glasses fixed, and get to class on time at 3. Oh yes, and its 1 o'clock. Of course, then my father apears, and starts yelling at me for breaking my glasses - and wondering how we are going to afford a new pair. I haven't gotten my frames this year on the insurance, I try to remind him, but it doesn't seem to get through.

So yes, confusing dreams. I think I know what it means, and what it deals with. Primarily about my fear of being helpless in the face of a problem. Gee, I wonder what problem that could be. Take your pick, I have plenty I am helpless to deal with. Gah. Did I mention I really am starting to have an abysmal outlook on life? Yes, well no more so than usual.

.....I looked at the clock. I'd slept all night and morning, through
most of the last meeting of my freshman class.

I struggled back into my preworn clothing, my pretied shoes, ran to the
anthropology building, and rushed upstairs to the airless classroom.
Only one of my sixteen students remained. He sat alone at his desk,
writing in his notebook with a ballpoint pen. He looked up, astonished
at my arrival.

"Professor Engstrand."

"Angus."

"I'm almost done."

"Done with what? Where did they all go?"

He blinked twice. He looked frightened.

"Tell me what happened, Angus."

"We met and waited for you, sir. Sat in our places. But you didn't
come. No one said anything. Half an hour passed. Then someone
suggested that your absence might represent some new form of final
exam. Some arcane and menacing form, I believe those were the exact
words. We laughed nervously at first. But one by one we opened our
notebooks. Began attempting to answer the question you were posing.
That's why it's a little unsettling to see you here, sir. I was almost
finished. The others handed in their papers to the department
secretary. May I ask you a question, sir?"

"Yes, Angus."

"Does this mean I failed?"

"No, Angus. There's no time limit. Hand it in when you're done."

TRUE BITCH

You have great balance and know when it is a good
time to bitch and when not to. You get the
respect you deserve and you know it! You don't
over-do the bitchyness. Go you!


(results contain pictures) What type of bitch are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Like we needed a test?

Diva of the Sewers
(Perverse Ignored Dysfunctional Adult)

Your inner child is the Diva of the Sewers (PIDA) --singing songs of a golden era, when people ate dirt and had to sell their limbs for Burger King cash. She is frequently seen drunk at the wheel of your psyche and likes to crash through the plate-glass window of your emotional storefront. Think of what the child of Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor would have been like and you have your girl.

Whether you are talented or not at singing doesn't matter. Your inner child is covered in ooze. That matters. The inner-child-computing-device recommends getting your inner child to a celebrity detox center immediately.

I am 52% Evil

With a style rating of 59%

There is evil here with sufficient style to look cool

Test created by Jamie - take it here.