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[Daft]

Well, I have read about several cases in which dogs have become mayor. I wish I could find a link, though. 

[The Mad Engineer]

If we could grow a brain for it, then it wouldn't matter.

Killing it now would simply remove the flesh-case for the mind.  The mother can always make a new one.  If you were to give it a brain, you wouldn't be transferring its now-dormant soul to a new mind.  You would be giving it a new one.

Besides, the mother might not like the idea of humanity using science to create a soul for her baby.  She might argue that the practices used to obtain that knowledge was unethical, or that we would be going against "God" in doing so.

[Armok]

That things should be killed dead, there is nothing useful you can do whit it...

Not true. It can run for a public office.

+10 points! 

[inaluct]

Okay, upon actually reading that blog, I have come to the conclusion that the mother of Faith Hope (or whatever) is mentally unstable. She was clearly driven insane by learning that her child was mindless.

She writes and acts like the baby is capable of higher brain function! Listen to this;

Yum yumm! In case some of you didn't know... Faith is actually capable of taking milk by mouth. In fact, she went without a tube for the first 25 days of her life. A tube feed was inserted when she lost too much weight as a result of not getting enough milk (it takes more effort for her to coordinated her sucking and swallowing and she tired before getting enough).

Ugh. She thinks that her little orc monster even can make an effort. It's horrible.

This woman should either be killed or committed to an asylum. It isn't safe for people like this to run free in our streets.

[Emnar]

I look at it like this:

From what we know, the brain (and brain stem and to some degree the spine) is the center of, and contains the data for, your personality.

Your brain can theoretically be removed from your body, and if kept alive and given a means to communicate, your personality will still be intact.  Certainly, it's a popular science fiction trope.

I would not consider myself or any other person dead if they were surviving as a "brain-in-a-vat."  I suspect this view would be widely shared.

This baby is the opposite case, or nearly so (it doesn't lack the entire brain apparatus, just most of it).  So therefore, I would not consider it conscious or sentient, and therefore no more "alive" than a viable kidney removed from a cadaver for transplant.

This also nullifies the "what if we can grow a brain in the future" argument.  If we could, that would be nice, and maybe in this mother's case we would.  But it would be no different ethically than letting the body containing the damaged brain die, then cloning it, while fixing or preventing whatever caused the problem in the first place.

I think we can all agree that this is a sad case, and that it's another great example of how life is full of -- to quote one of my favorite philosophers -- "some fucked up repugnant shit."

[612DwarfAvenue]

That baby is a living thing. It pumps blood, it breathes, etc., but it's useless. I fully agree that if a kid's got a severe mental disorder or something really bad, and theres no hope of the child getting any better, then they should be euthenized (sp?).

Did you hear about that girl that refused a heart transplant? It's her choice, and it's most likely for the best.

Just my 2 cents.

[Cyx]

I would not consider myself or any other person dead if they were surviving as a "brain-in-a-vat."  I suspect this view would be widely shared.

This baby is the opposite case, or nearly so (it doesn't lack the entire brain apparatus, just most of it).  So therefore, I would not consider it conscious or sentient, and therefore no more "alive" than a viable kidney removed from a cadaver for transplant.

This also nullifies the "what if we can grow a brain in the future" argument.  If we could, that would be nice, and maybe in this mother's case we would.  But it would be no different ethically than letting the body containing the damaged brain die, then cloning it, while fixing or preventing whatever caused the problem in the first place.

I think we can all agree that this is a sad case, and that it's another great example of how life is full of -- to quote one of my favorite philosophers -- "some fucked up repugnant shit."

This thing sure acts like some kind of big useless plant, but I don't see what the big deal about that is. Plants don't feel anything, yet no one wants to kill them out of mercy. And plants are alive, too. Doesn't look like she's gonna waste a lot of resources either, just sitting there being fed by tubes*. I really wouldn't mind if she was euthanized but I find it strange that everyone thinks it's some kind of crime against Nature. "Obviously these people are under demonic forces and need prayer and serious help. They don't realize it, but they are truly puppets of satan."...
The mother should be killed, though.

*Apparently yes ? Well it would be a reason to kill her, but we've seen worse I guess.

[DJ]

The problem is that all the medical resources put into her could be used for babies that actually have a chance for a normal life.

[Yanlin]

Seriously. Religious people are the people who don't THINK.

Their whole faith contradicts itself in every possible term and lacks evidence.

Not to mention they don't follow the scientific method. They draw conclusions and seek proof.

(The scientific method finds proof/evidence and draws conclusions based on that.)

The problem is that all the medical resources put into her could be used for babies that actually have a chance for a normal life.

Also true.

[pokute]

Ah yes, the vaunted higher brain functions.

Is your consciousness the holy grail of cognitive brain development?
Or a distracting byproduct of your subconscious?

[The Doctor]

Well, you just typed that with your consciousness.

Sooo yeah.

[Yanlin]

Being unconscious is not fun.

[Cyx]

The problem is that all the medical resources put into her could be used for babies that actually have a chance for a normal life.

True, I didn't think of that at first. The time and money used to make bombs and fancy cars could save babies too, that's what I meant by "we've seen worse"; at least they are trying to preserve a life. I realize it's just theoretical though, while the medications used on the baby could actually save a few others.

[pokute]

Well, you just typed that with your consciousness.

Sooo yeah.

Your consciousness is not what you believe it to be.

[Nilocy]

When it comes down to it, conciousness was a nessiscary evolution by our ancestors to survive. This baby and her mother just happen to be one of the extremely unfortunate ones. So yeah, derailing the convo again.

But seriously, you lot have no right to say whats good or not for this child and neither do I.