The fate of Baby M was determined last week when the Supreme Court refused an emergency stay. She was laid to rest on Saturday afternoon. The courts decided that there was no "over ridding legal concerns" and that Alberta's top court's decision was made in the best interest of the child.
This sad story of alleged abuse and neglect is one that has made news headlines for the past several weeks as the parents appealed to Alberta's top court to keep Baby M alive on life support.
The defense made by the father's lawyer, Lydia Bubel, argued that giving the courts the power to decide over the child's life would "take sanctity of life away from families and ... put it in the court's hands."
The main problem with the defense's key argument is once you allegedly neglect and abuse your children then you lose all rights to decide what is best for your children.
It is the role of parent to provide, protect, and nurture our children to grow to be thriving young citizens within the community. How can a parent of a two-year-old allegedly harm a child to the point that they are placed on life support? If they are proven guilty it demonstrates a lack of reason and for this no abusive parent should decide the next chapter of their child's life.
All babies need to be loved and to be provided the warmth of a loving home. I can only imagine the pain that Baby M endured in her brief life. It was her pain and suffering that the court was forced to deal with in determining if they could preserve her life by sustaining her on life support.
Alberta's top court made a tough decision on the sanctity of life."The sanctity of human life is one of the core values of our legal system. But life is not without end," said Mr. Justice Frans Slatter, speaking on behalf of his Court of Appeal colleagues, Keith Ritter and Myra Bielby.
Baby M's death is one less shining light in the world and is a precious loss to humanity. It is my hope that if these abuse allegations are true, Baby M's parents will have the book thrown at them. Parents lose all of their rights and legitimacy the moment they begin abusing children.