The story of Alfie Evans: A tale of two Kates

“My gladiator laid down his shield and gained his wings at 2:30.” This is how Alfie Evans’s father described the death of his twenty-three-month-old son early Saturday morning.

Alfie suffered from a degenerative neurological condition. His doctors in Great Britain said he was in a “semi-vegetative state” with almost no brain function.

His parents, Tom and Kate, wanted to provide further care in line with their Catholic faith. Pope Francis and Italian authorities supported their desire to have their son treated in Italy, where their wishes would have been honored.

Italy had a military plane on standby to take Alfie to Rome. He had also been granted Italian citizenship to facilitate his transport and arrival.

However, his British doctors believed that further treatment was futile and petitioned the courts to end his medical care. Under British law, it is common for courts to intervene when doctors and parents disagree on the treatment of a child. In such cases, the rights of the child (as determined by the court) are given primacy over the parents’ right to decide what’s best for their children.

Alfie’s life support was withdrawn last week after the courts sided with the doctors.

Conversely, Kate Middleton made global headlines Friday morning with the announcement that she and Prince William had decided on a name for their newborn son. Prince Louis has received the best of medical care, of course, and will live in the spotlight of fame accorded the British royal family.

In God’s eyes, which baby is more sacred?

Valuing life by its utility

The Alfie Evans tragedy brings into sharp focus two ways to value human life.

One view decides the value of life by its utility. According to this approach, babies with Down syndrome will excessively burden their parents and are unable to contribute fully to society. Aborting them is therefore considered the practical thing to do.

This mindset is applied to impaired babies like Alfie Evans and…