Opinion: Why pushing to find out how an 8-year-old died doesn’t help the grieving parents

To the editor: As a mother who lost a child, I can only feel a parent’s pain of loss once again reading about the accusation that an anesthesiologist hastened a vegetative child’s death so his organs could be harvested. (“An 8-year-old was taken off life support, his organs donated. Now, police are investigating,” June 12)

There is much crime in the world that deserves dogged pursuit by detectives, but the effort of registered nurse Denise Bertone, a Los Angeles County coroner’s investigator who examines child deaths, is over the line. Her expertise has been aresource for many cases and a relief, I’m sure, to many parents. Still, nearly every minute of every day, I wrestle with the feeling of guilt for not having done enough to save my child.

I feel for Cole Hartman’s family and Dr. Judith Brill, the physician whose care of the dying 8-year-old was flagged for investigation by Bertone. No one in their right mind wants to lose a child, and no parent wants to be forced to relive those moments again and again.

Eva Larson, Agoura Hills

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To the editor: Organ donation after cardiac death versus brain death is a complex issue. Many values are in tension, including making certain the patient is “dead” in order to respect that individual and not to “kill” him or her or hasten death for organ harvesting.

A benefits-burden comparison, informed consent and respect for human dignity are the primary factors in deciding whether to continue or forgo life-sustaining medical treatment. Where there’s a gray area, some may see a way to unfairly manipulate the decision to withdraw treatment to favor a potential organ recipient.

Cole Hartman’s case involving a persistent vegetative state should include consideration of the sanctity of life versus quality of life.

Richard Boudreau, MD, Marina del Rey

The writer is a bioethicist at Loyola Marymount University.

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