British society discusses infant 'mercy killing'
The U.K.'s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has begun calling for debate on an extremely controversial topic--whether laws should exist to allow "deliberate intervention" causing death when infants are very premature, ill or severely disabled. While it's already legal to withdraw treatment in certain cases, Royal College would like to see physicians consider more extreme tactics, and has convened a working party to consider the issues. "We would like the working party to think more radically about non-resuscitation, withdrawal of treatment decisions...and active euthanasia, as they are ways of widening the management options available to the sickest of newborns," College members said in a statement. The idea has set off a firestorm of criticism, both in the U.K. and abroad. Article