The state supreme court has dismissed a mother’s appeal of a court-approved do-not-resuscitate decision for her brain-damaged baby, saying the matter is moot now that the state has agreed to abide by the mother’s wishes.

The child welfare agency that won a judge’s approval to make medical decisions on behalf of the infant announced last week that it would defer to the wishes of the teenage mother.

On Friday, a supreme court spokesman said the mother’s appeal was “dismissed as moot.”

The mother’s attorney, Scott Hess, said he’d hoped the Maine Supreme Judicial Court would weigh in on whether the state violated the mother’s constitutional rights by seeking and winning a state judge’s approval to make life-or-death medical decisions for a child who is in temporary state custody.

“It is disappointing that the mother will not have the opportunity to have the case decided on the legal merits, but we of course respect the decision by the law court,” he said Friday.

The baby suffered severe brain injuries in December when she was shaken by her father, who is awaiting trial, state officials said. The baby cannot see or hear, must be fed through a tube and suffers severe ongoing health problems.

The 18-year-old mother, Virginia Trask, originally agreed to a DNR order but changed her mind after the baby began breathing after being removed from life support and placed in her arms.

The state judge who gave child welfare officials the authority to make medical decisions found that “neither parent can be counted on to be physically or emotionally available to make the necessary informed decision when needed.”

Gov. Paul LePage and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services intervened when the matter became public. For now, the injured baby remains in foster care, and Trask retains visitation rights.

Let us go into deep discussion today, Thank you all!

Today we will continue from the weeks post of Abuse, Forgiveness and  Suicide.

Comments and questions from last night;

From the Moderator Yw;

Hello Obara Meji, the ES fambo, all peepers (of ES only, of course), and everyone else!! This, in my opinion, is too big a topic to do in one go. So, I suggest that we deal with the issue of suicide in parts. If the class agrees, where do we start? If it is ok with all, we could start at #5. and just touch on the other points….
1. Cultural POV (point of View)
2. Emotional POV/coping mechanisms
3. Psycological (mental health issues)
4. Other Health (Terminal illness or comas)

5. Spiritual

Cool. I wonder about the spiritual side of this topic because there are times when a person’s death comes about from their loss of will to keep going. If a person gives up the will to fight but does not physically take their life, is that suicide?

From Lalibela NIle;

With a Judeo-Christian upbringing, I was taught that individuals don’t get absolved for committing suicide. Naturally, if you are no longer alive an individual cannot show contrition and repent/atone for said sin. Then you find that in other cultures, the act of suicide is regarded as an act of valor and honor. Muslims don’t regard suicide—under the auspice of jihad—as a cowardice act. Shame derived from great disappointment/dishonor of others often times compel Japanese to commit suicide. Here in the West, suicide is highly shunned as it is associated with a life rife with issues—a troubled person. With the different cultural interpretation of suicide’s meaning/validation, we are left in a quandary.

Social/societal conditioning—nurture—plays a key role in how I perceive suicide; accordingly, I don’t equate the suicide of a Muslim, a Japanese or the typical Westerner as one in the same. The Muslim is of the [opinion] that jihad based suicide is an act that serves the greater good and a duty, the Japanese conclude that the act of suicide preserves honor and respect for one’s family and I opine that most Westerners commit suicide because they see no other option in life.

I dwell in the West an accordingly, I am more inclined to understand the ways of the West—whether I subscribe to them or not. Stress and depression are leading reasons for suicide here in the West. Robin William—who had a history of drug abuse—was diagnosed with parkinson disease and subsequently committed suicide. When I heard of his passing, I did not grieve; knowing that he committed suicide, I just concluded that the troubled man found the easy way out. Then I compared his worst prognosis with the best prognosis of the indigent peoples of the world. Suffering is the norm for the indigent peoples of the world and from a proportional perspective, most don’t commit suicide—even when they face sudden death. I might have to soon question this logic as I most recently discovered that Guyana has replaced Scandinavia as the region/nation with the highest suicide [rate]:

“Guyana has the highest suicide rate in the world

According to data gathered by the World Health Organization, Guyana has the highest suicide rate in the world, with 44 suicides per 100,000 people. That puts them slightly ahead of even North Korea, which has 38.5 suicides per 100,000 people. Among large countries, South Korea, with 28.5 suicides per 100,000 people, and Russia, with 18.5 suicides per 100,000 people, have particularly bad records. The suicide rate in the US is 12.1 per 100,000 people.”

Phyllis as beautiful and talented and fortunate as she was should have been helped before she got to that point where she thought that she was helpless…

From Ty;

The will to live is a flame that must be kept kindled….

All suicides are not equal… I like the analogy of the samarai…their suicide was more of a sacrifice….

There are solders, fire fighters and police officers who put their lives on the line knowing that they will die…some may call this suicide because the know they will die and still forge on,..

I am just getting into the spirituality aspects of life so I am no expert here…but often times, if you give up the will to live, you die….I am not sure of the impact on the spirit…I would think it depends on if you completed the lessons you were to learn in the cycle or not…

In Asain cultures, suicides are acceptable and considered honorable…for example a CEO runs a company into the ground and people lose money, lives, etc due his decisions…he will commit suicide to absolve himself from his actions…

In our western thoughts, this is wrong…

In the eastern thought, he is forgiven…

From Obara Meji;

Robin Williams committed suicide after battling depression, drugs and alcohol for years, then he found out he had Parkinsons and he killed himself, we do not know the true reason why, but I suspect, that he could not deal with what he would go through with this disease in time to come

I believe that many people who commit suicide, had committed this act before in their previous lives, I believe that when they get to a point in their life akin to another life they had lived before, they are challenged, whether of the mind through depression or something in their life that they have to deal with and they go out like that again

Many people who are born with some sort of deformity, are suicide victims from another life or lives, and so they come back in deformed hoping to get pass this present life and unto the next..This is my belief, I hope it was not too deep for y’all!

From Obara Meji;

Robin Williams committed suicide after battling depression, drugs and alcohol for years, then he found out he had Parkinsons and he killed himself, we do not know the true reason why, but I suspect, that he could not deal with what he would go through with this disease in time to come

I believe that many people who commit suicide, had committed this act before in their previous lives, I believe that when they get to a point in their life akin to another life they had lived before, they are challenged, whether of the mind through depression or something in their life that they have to deal with and they go out like that again

Many people who are born with some sort of deformity, are suicide victims from another life or lives, and so they come back in deformed hoping to get pass this present life and unto the next..This is my belief, I hope it was not too deep for y’all!

From Cami;

Emile Durkhiem :” Durkheim explored the differing suicide rates among Protestants and Catholics, arguing that stronger social control among Catholics results in lower suicide rates. He also found that suicide rates were higher among men than women, higher for those who are single than those who are married, higher for people without children than people with children, higher among soldiers than civilians, and higher at times of peace than in times of war.”

“Durkheim was the first to argue that the causes of suicide were to be found in social factors and not individual personalities.”

Source: https://sociology.about.com/od/Works/a/Suicide.htm

He went on to list 3 types: Anomic, Egotistic and Alturistic

Mek me start confess…My first suicidal declaration was because I was financially stress and felt hopeless, then have a temp boss bothering the little bit of peace I had stored up. I walked of the job and saw a bill board advertising the suicidal hotline. I drove home a bit erratic, but calmed down because it would be unfair to cause an accident when it wasn’t the other drivers I was having an issue with- the issue was with myself.

I called the hotline when I went home and bless the girl on the other line. She asked me what were my life options! There I sat, light me spliff and started to take stock of my untested options…less than 2 weeks later I got the job of a life time.,,although the company sold out some years later, lolol

This was a matter of me and society and its expectations not panning out too well. Hence, E.Durkheim egotistical suicide I felt “detached from society”. Again, me weed did me well.

From Nyaha;

Good evening good people. I am not sure about suicide from what I understand about death there are several “types” your spirit leaves (it was time for you to die), your body can’t take it (sometimes the spirit refuses to leave earth or your spirit can also leave cause it was also time for you to die) and emotional death (where your will to die is very strong. This can then lead to a physical death by suicide or even a disease that kills you). I am not an expert on this though, I am learning all this now

From Yazzy;

Good night sweeties. Sorry I’m late. Had to relax and regroup for a sec…

1. I use to be think suicide was a sign of weakness but who are we to say that person was weak? I’ve seen some of the most courageously accomplished people commit suicide as well as your average Joe so for me it’s just a sign of distress and loneliness but not weakness.

2. Thank the heavens I’ve never actually had to deal with it and I have never mentally prepared for it but knowing me… it would bring me to my knees. I’d be filled with guilt. It would hurt that they couldn’t open up to me… mi not even wah stawt tink bout dat ya now.

3. The reasoning must be important to the ones whom have done it. It must have been valid in their minds.

4. I’ve been thru some awful lows that I care not to revisit where I’ve had thoughts of soliciting others to help end my suffering… but thoughts are just thoughts sometimes.

In Healthcare, there’s assisted suicides alll the time… I’m 50/50 on this! Yup I said it!

With that said, if I put deep thoughts into it, I would be of assistance to someone that wants to commit suicide. I’ll explain one day…

From MTH;

YW thanks for holding down the spot for me. Niles thank you as well. Obara, Cami, Courtney, Yazzy, Ty, Nyaha1 and all the peepers, respect.

In my mind how Whitney and Michael Jackson treated themselves is akin to suicide.

From Kia;

Evening all i do not agree with suicide. While life gets heavy at times for me, i want to keep living. For others it may not be that easy so they give up. When we see people like phyllis, robin, kurt corbin who we think have everything we wonder why. Yu just cant kno a persons heart or mind. Now i understand spiritually that suicide deaths have to come again to live their life over, it makes perfect sense. I dont want to watch someone suffer a terminal illness but im no kervokan. Im not helping them die so i hope they have another plan besides me.

Ẹni táa fún lóbì tí ò ṣọpẹ́, táa bá fun lọ́mọ kò ní ṣàna. /
A person who’s not grateful when given kolanut won’t pay his dues if given a bride…..Yoruba Proverb!

[Whoever is ungrateful for minor favours won’t be grateful for major ones.]

All religions are valid as long as it teaches peace and love…..Obara Meji!

There are no disappointments in life, only lessons learned…..Obara Meji