Schumacher’s Skiing Accident leaves him Hospitalised...
On the afternoon of DEC 29 2013, seven-time Formula One World Champion, Michael Schumacher, was hospitalised after having endured severe head injuries in an off-piste accident at Méribel Ski Resort in the French Alps.
Schumacher, 45, was in a medically induced coma upon his admission to the specialised trauma unit of the Grenoble hospital, shortly after the accident. Medical brain experts described Schumacher’s condition as “critical” and they, therefore, needed to operate immediate neurosurgery on the renowned racing driver.
It was later established by the French authorities and Schumacher’s doctors that the victim had, violently, hit his head on a rock after speeding on an unmarked route.
On DEC 30 2013, Schumacher had undergone a second surgery which, although showed an improvement in his condition, did not mean that he was “out of danger”.
Physicians are confident that the athlete would not have survived the crash had he not been wearing his helmet. Latest reports portray Schumacher’s condition as “critical but stable”, continuing to show signs of progress.
The German Formula One driver visits the pistes of Méribel every Christmas with his family, including his 14-year-old son who he was skiing with at the time of his accident.
On JAN 03 2013, Schumacher’s fans held a birthday vigil outside his medical facility, displaying a variety of flags, posters, banners and birthday cards while, occasionally, singing Happy Birthday to the unfortunate driver.
by Ksenia Fedorova on 08/01/2014
On FEB 13 2014, Belgium marked its name in history as the first ever nation to eliminate all age restrictions for the practise of euthanasia.
This extension of the law, ratified on MAY 28 2002, which declared euthanasia legal in Belgium, has sparked mass controversy among medical specialists, politicians and Catholics, who have held numerous prayer vigils in protest of the law.
The Belgian Parliament has emphasised the strict conditions under which child euthanasia can be executed, while subdivisions of the Bill concerned with parental and child consent are regarded by many as ambiguous. Although parental consent is requisite, it is not yet clear what happens if the two parents are faced with contrasting wishes. Additionally, the Bill asserts that the child must demonstrate "a capacity of discernment and be conscious at the moment of the request", implying that it may not be applicable to very young children. Overall, the practise of child euthanasia is authorised only in cases where a child "[is] in a hopeless medical situation of constant and unbearable suffering that cannot be eased and which will cause death in the short-term".
Surveys indicate that a large majority of the Belgian society support this drastic leap, while not every member shares their viewpoint. Dr. Stefaan Van Gool, who focuses on the treatment of minor cancer patients at Leuven’s university hospital, questioned the necessity of the law by stating that “there is no demand from the population or from the medical community for the possibility of euthanasia for minors,” while other paediatricians claim that the advanced medical technology for the care of the chronically ill allows them to "fully control the physical pain, choking, or anxiety as they approach death".
Supporters of the bill broadened their argument by stating that it “is the best means of guarding against possible malpractice," which is accurate, seeing as doctors were secretly complying with child euthanasia and, as a result, faced a law suit for the illegal practise.
It has not been made evident whether other European countries will follow Belgium in adopting the law, although Netherlands has been granting minors from the age of 12 the right to die since 2002.
Child Euthanasia legalised in Belgium
by Ksenia Fedorova on 23/02/2014
"We are not born for ourselves but for the world."