Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Feds harass patriots, yet Death Panel denies a child a shot at life

The government will bend the rules left and right to harass targeted taxpayers, conservative patriots, selected journalists, etc., but it will strictly exercise inconsistent and subjective rules to deny a child a shot at life. And they called us liars when we spoke of "death panels" – faceless bureaucrats coming between you and your doctor to make life and death decisions about a loved one's survival. It doesn't sound so far fetched anymore, does it?

A little girl's dying from cystic fibrosis and has three to five weeks to live unless she gets a lung transplant before then. The good news is that adult lungs can be modified for a child her age in a way that'll save her life — except that, because she's only 10, she's not eligible for them. The "adult" list starts at 12; everyone younger than that goes to the children's list, where lungs are much harder to come by. The question is, does Sebelius have the authority to suspend those age limitations and make the girl, Sarah Murnaghan, eligible for an adult transplant?

I honestly don't know the answer. Murnaghan's parents say Sebelius's authority is clear; Sebelius herself claims that HHS's lawyers have told her she can't do it. A life hangs in the balance.

Heartbreaking.  Sarah Palin is using Facebook as a platform to draw attention to what Allahpundit calls a "portrait of a bureaucratic nightmare."

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says all she can do is order a review of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network's policy. Republican lawmakers contend that Sebelius has "the ability and the authority to intervene."

In her full Facebook post, Palin slammed the administration for targeting journalists and patriots while refusing to "bend the rules" to ensure 10-year-old Sarah a shot at life.

The government will bend the rules left and right to harass targeted taxpayers, conservative patriots, selected journalists, etc., but it will strictly exercise inconsistent and subjective rules to deny a child a shot at life. And they called us liars when we spoke of "death panels" – faceless bureaucrats coming between you and your doctor to make life and death decisions about a loved one's survival. It doesn't sound so far fetched anymore, does it?

The AP reports that "Sarah's transplant doctors say she is medically eligible for an adult lung." It's the bureaucratic tangle snaring Sarah Murnaghan and her family.

As Ace writes, this "demonstrates why who lives and who dies should not be part of the political process."

As always, clinging bitterly to hatred for Sarah Palin is more important than just about anything … including the life of a young girl.