Article by Cameron Spink

 

You know things have gone haywire when you see two stories in the space of a week about parents putting their selfish desires above the well-being of their child.

 

First there is the unnamed couple who terminated twin boys because they wanted a girl. Now they are going to VCAT in order to select the sex of the baby. There is something deeply wrong with our society when we have people who think in this manner. To read more on a Christian response go to Bill Muehlenberg's article.

 

However, the train has not finished derailing yet. Yesterday it was revealed at an inquest that the parents of a toddler with a disability were considering euthanasing her because it was "interfering with their "idyllic" lifestyle". Click here to read the whole article.

 

Ultimately they got their wish as their child drowned not long after. Again the question must be asked: what about the kids? The father even had the audacity to ask "Why do they keep children with these disabilities alive?".

 

Now, at first instance we must not misunderstand the difficulty that both sets of parents were placed under. The first had a set of three boys already and desperately wanted a girl. The second had a child with very particular needs that would require draining parenting. However, neither of these reasons is good enough to either terminate a foetus or euthanize a toddler. These reasons do not give any person an excuse to kill in any regard.

 

We are told the kingdom of heaven belongs to the little children (Matt 19:14) so why are they being abused down here on earth? Unfortunately, Australian's have become a placid and selfish people. We believe that autonomy is ultimate and think that a slogan like "fair go" is something that encapsulates moral relationships. We want to be comfortable in a non-complicated lifestyle.

 

Such thinking leads to real life situations where parents do not feel that they should take their child into consideration at all. And, in the end, who can blame them? If culture keeps telling us to do what we want how can we condemn someone when they act in a self-indulgent manner.

 

These examples show us why we must win back our nation. We are more than just flesh and blood and selfish desires.