Discrimination in Life Saving Operation

Recently, I read a story http://specialchildren.about.com/b/2012/01/13/hospital-denies-kidney-transplant-because-of-girls-intellectual-disability.htm  about a little girl who needs a kidney transplant in six months to a year.  Her mother says that they told them that she isn't eligible for the surgery because she is "mentally retarded".  The family wasn't asking for the child to be put on a transplant list.  They had multiple family members willing to donate a kidney to save her life.  The hospital hasn't given much comment and claim that they can't say much because they can't disclose the child's records. 

I've posted on their Facebook page and on a story on the news about it asking one question "Does a child having mental retardation come into the decision making process?" 

See I don't need to know all of her medical situations to know how ticked off I am!  The IQ of someone has no bearing on if they want to die of kidney failure.  Someone's IQ shouldn't have anything to do with if they get medical treatment!  I have multiple children who could fall under that label (the word was actually suppose to be on a sheet of paper that was a list of reasons that a transplant wouldn't be warranted or advised and it was highlighted because it was the one that applied to her).  Each one of them deserve the same medical care as everyone else! 

I've seen people write comments using the excuse that she would just "drain resources" and would "never contribute (I will do a post about a family member who said something similar in the past few months and how DONE I am with that person at a later date).  I'd just like to ask what "contribute" means to people????  I think it is purely monetary to way too many people in our society.  That is so very sad.  "Contributing" to society can mean so many other things.  I know that every person with special needs (even if they can't speak, walk, or work) contributes an amount of love, understanding, and uniqueness that  cannot be matched by anyone besides themselves.  "Draining Resources" ticks me off in a special kind of way as well.  That is what the prison population in this country is doing!  How many people with what the world considers "severe special needs" do you see killing, doing drugs, stealing, and menacing society????  Nope, that just isn't their "thing"!

I can guarantee that the sweet little girl in question has already contributed more to society than any of the idiots who make such comments.  See that little girl has a mother, father, and siblings.  I can guarantee that the way that they look at the world around them has been changed by her already.  In her few years on earth so far, I can guarantee that she has made her siblings into more compassionate, caring, and understanding people.  They will treat other people with more respect and work harder to help make others feel included because of getting the privelege to love her.  They will grow up to make a difference in our world, because of the blessing of knowing her.  My guess is that she is touched numerous lives in that type of capacity!

She, just as all of us, is made in the image of God.  I would hate to be someone who had to stand before our Creator and account for de-valuing the life that He created.  We, as a world, have got to do better than to accept such discrimination.