Be not too harsh in your judgment of Robert Latimer
From the Ottawa Citizen
(Letters to the Editor)
December 5, 1997.
For l8 years, my mother devoted her life to loving and caring for my sister,
who suffered brain and spinal injuries at birth (she was one of twins).
While she developed physically, mentally she was like a three-month-old.
This meant spoon-feeding her, changing and washing diapers (this was more
than 30 years ago), lifting her from a bed/chair to a regular bed twice
a day -- all the lifting and holding required for an infant, compounded
by the weight and size of an adult.
The only capability my sister had was that of recognition -- recognizing
family members, The Happy Gang on radio, and the fact that every evening
she was given a treat of a square of a chocolate bar shredded on a spoon,
followed by spoonfuls of water.
Needless to say, the years of dedication and love took their toll on my
mother. My father was advised by the family doctor that either his wife
or his daughter would have to be put in a hospital for special care.
My sister was visibly experiencing pain and suffering to the extent that
she was having difficulty swallowing. She often had to fight for her breath
and frequently had seizures. The doctor also said it was only the care
she was getting at home that had kept her alive for so long.
My father made the heart-wrenching decision to place my sister. We were
all devastated. The further devastation was that my sister survived only
a couple of months in the hospital.
The Latimer case has brought all of this to the forefront. My father was
a strong man, but a kind man. The only time I saw him crying was at my
sister's funeral. I wonder now, were they tears of grief for the loss
of his daughter, tears of heartache for the dreadful decision he had made
to place her in a hospital, or tears of gratitude that her suffering was
over?
To all the critics and activists out there: was my father a murderer,
for placing his daughter in a hospital when he was told it was only the
care she was getting at home that was keeping her alive?
I think not! He was a compassionate, courageous husband and father who
was tested with one of the most horrendous decisions of his lifetime.
He was a man who had the strength to live with that decision supported
by the love and respect of his family.
Vera Woods
Nepean, Ontario
