Charlie Gard: Death Threats Sent To Great Ormond Street Staff

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40691478

Apparently, Staff have been accosted in the street.

Its difficult to believe that this is actually happening !

[ummmm]

This case is extremely sad but I really don't know why strangers get so emotionally involved. Their behaviour isn't helping the cause.

[Zacs-Master]

Just another litmus test indicating the stupidity of an element of the general public.

[anneasquith]

Will this ongoing circus ever end ? :-(

[mikey4444]

I am guessing that most of us have an opinion on the Charlie Gard case....I know I do !

To behave in this manner just shows how stupid some people are, just like Zacs has said.

[EDDIE51]

I saw that as well and echo your comments.
The newspapers have taken up this case, ostensibly as it being in his interests ,but of course in reality it is just a callus attempt to increase circulation and therefore the price they can demand for advertising.

[pixie374]

I don't have an opinion really... I don't know. Without meeting Charlie and talking to the parents and the hospital staff, it's impossible to make a life-or-death decision. It's hard enough for those who know about it. How can these strangers be so sure about what is right?

[Zacs-Master]

Because they can't think beyond their own nose ends.

[pixie374]

And they are safely at a distance from it. It's easy enough to put opinions on a site, but this is impossible.

[douglas9401]

Mouth breathers with an opinion on stuff they know nothing about get carried away with the hysteria surrounding an emotive story and eventually tip over into the physical world.
It's the modern version of winding somebody up in the pub over a spilled pint until it reaches the point where the 'offender' is assaulted.

Maybe just knock the 'accosters' on their backs and give them a couple of swifties to the ribs just to bring them back to the reality of the situation, the wee fella's not going to live no matter how many virtue signalling fivers are donated. Accept it and move on.

[Sqad]

I don't understand why this anti-social behaviour is news in the UK.
We have seen fireman stoned and pelted on the way to an incident and ambulance men treated in a similar way en route to accidents, so why not a few venomous emails?

[Peter Pedant]

Gosh ! this is a first time for GOSH
they didnt see where it would come from - and didnt take it into account.

so like Trump they didnt handle the publicity side at all well
GOSH were right but not smart .....

It isnt the first time that hospitals have been slagged off
(especially over mortality, especially in the North) - so you know, people know what to do about it - GOSH blinded itself.

Staff have got insulting emails - thousands of them - and when reported to the admin - I can tell you what they said - 'Nothing to do with us' - only now are they saying "oops yes it is - I know! we'll ring the police!"

I mean for chrissakes they have had a senior doctor from the states yapping how he can save sick little charlie ( by video link)

hey doc ! have you read little charlies notes?

erm no I havent actually

have you treated anyone with his genetic abnormality ?

erm no I havent either

what a circus

[Peter Pedant]

erm few thousand .... sqad

[EDDIE51]

sqad , possibly you have an opinion on the possibility of any improvement in the condition of this poor baby?
My opinion is that he has no hope of any meaningful improvement and should have been allowed to pass peacefully away. I know others do not share that view, but your opinion would be welcome.

[mikey4444]

Eddie...I agree with you there.

[EDDIE51]

PP I do not share your view, my own opinion is that GOSH have behaved impeccably and the fault lies with the attention seeking , money grabbing press, in particular The Daily Wail !

[Sqad]

Any medical condition is treatable but curable is quite a different matter.
One question that one must ask is IF after treatment which may or may not prolong the life of that patient, would that quality of life be reasonable. This is not an easy question to answer.
Take a woman with an advanced stage of pelvic cancer causing pain due to local spread. Treatable? yes....curable...no. Would you want to prolong this life with treatment with sometimes undesirable side effects? You may.
Take the 70 year old with chronic kidney disease who needs dialysis.....twice weekly dialysis, two days before and a day after he feels bloody awful....that means despite treatment he feels ill 6 days a week for the benefit of just one day. Would you want this? I would refuse threatment.
Now I know the GOSH staff, a couple of them very well and they are dedicated doctors whoa have regular multidisciplinary case conferences and all aspects of the case are taken into consideration other than the specific medical aspects.
I would go with the advice of the opinion of these dedicated and sensitive experts.

[EDDIE51]

Thanks sqad well said!

[pixie374]

The most difficult question is how much quality of life is needed before you are literally better off dead.

[anneasquith]

Death threats to doctors and nurses on social media, the parents of charlie gard are not publicity shy, we should expect a statement of support for gosh at least, trump and the Vatican can express their opinion, its time the prime minister/health minister showed some support for this world class children's hospital . lost in the centre of this situation is a baby ...... Charlie ,

[Peter Pedant]

erm sqad you havent added the important bit
the interests of the child are paramount ( Children Act 1989)

this is not engaged in all the adult examples you cite

and I just wish the american doctor ( too busy to read the notes six months ago apparently ) hadnt opened his mouth.....