Conjoined Twins' Parents Will Not Appeal
The Maltese parents of Siamese twins will not challenge a British court's order to separate the seven-week-old girls, killing one to save the other, said their lawyer.
The decision by the Roman Catholic parents on Thursday clears the way for the operation that will give Jodie a chance at life without her conjoined sister Mary, who would soon kill her.
Their lawyer John Kitchingman said they would not appeal to Britain's highest court, the House of Lords.
"The parents, having taken this case to two courts before four judges, whose decision was unanimous, feel that they have done the best they can for both daughters and are unable to take this any further," he said in a statement.
The Official Solicitor, the court-appointed lawyer acting for the dependent twin Mary, also cleared the way for the separation by announcing that he would not appeal.
"I have had at the forefront of my mind, first, the parents' decision not to pursue an appeal themselves and, secondly, the moral, ethical and legal arguments submitted to the court by the(Catholic) Archbishop of Westminster and the Pro-Life group," he said.
CBS News Correspondent Mark Phillips reported last Friday's Court of Appeal ruling to separate the twins went against the wishes of their devout parents, who preferred to let nature take its course rather than condemn one child to death.
But Saturday's British newspapers said the judges had done their best in an impossible situation.
"A harrowing case, and a wise judgment that could save a life," the Times said in an editorial that accompanied four pages of coverage of the decision.
Other papers were similarly appreciative of the decision to uphold an earlier High Court ruling.
"Insofar as such an extraordinary situation can have a right or wrong answer, the Court of Appeal answered the questions correctly yesterday (Friday)," the Daily Telegraph said.
Doctors say the girls, given the names Jodie and Mary to protect their identity, will both die within months if they are not separated. Separating the twins will kill the weaker twin Mary, who depends entirely on Jodie for her blood.
"Mary, sadly, is beyond any help," said Lord Justice Alan Ward, one of a panel of three judges.
"Though Mary has a right to life, she has little right to be alive. Her parasitic living will soon be the cause of Jodie ceasing to live. Jodie is entitled to protest that Mary is killing her."
Earlier, the parents of the conjoined girls refused to give their consent for the babies to be separated, saying that God and not doctors should decide whether and for how long they live.
The Catholic Church in England and Wales supported their position, arguing that any decision to operate would deny one of the sisters the right to live.
The twins were born at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester, northern England on August 8, after their parents came to Britain seking medical help.
The moral, religious, and emotional dilemma they have raised has gripped Britain and put the judges in an unprecedented legal quandary, and the Maltese have been similarly divided.
"We are very sorry. The operation, the act of it, causes us dismay. We do not criticize the judges themselves but we abhor the act," Bishop Nikol Cauchi said in the Guardian.
Father Joe Borg was saddened by the decision. "When we start, as humans, deciding who lives and who dies - I feel very uncomfortable."
After Friday's hearing, Lord Justice Ward felt compelled to explain how difficult the decision had been. "Excruciatingly difficult as you would expect. There are the most dramatic questions of life and death involved; one's heart bleeds for this family."
Lord Justice Ward recently spoke of a sleepless night worrying about the dilemma: "Do we murder Mary to save Jodie?"
Anti abortion rights groups slammed the ruling as "deplorable."
"(The judges) simply didn't consider the human rights implications," said Bruno Quintvalle of the ProLife Alliance.
"The green light has been given to further attacks on human life and the dignity of people at their most vulnerable."