And in the face of such a desolate statistic and reality , a tentative sense of hope is created at the very fact that this report was asked for.  We only ask for information when we know there is a problem and are generally ready to hear the answer.

That there is a problem is clear.  Are we ready to engage, however, with the difficult tensions that must be held to find a way through to stop this suffering?  That is a whole other question.

That makes me most anxious is seeing the report measure suffering against economic viability.  How much money is well being worth?  How much is the alleviation of suffering worth?  Are we really so lost or morally deficient that economic viability is the only factor we consider?

Where is our dignity?

How much must our young ones suffer before we say enough is enough.

Improving the Transitions for Adolescents, an extensive report compiled by an eminent group of researchers after reviewing the relevant literature, advises lawmakers that their job is to ‘strike a balance between protecting young people from harm and allowing them enough freedom to learn from their mistakes’.  A balancing act most parents will already be familiar with.

Whilst there is no new earth shattering news to report, the group may be hoping that, at the very least, the government heeds the recommendation that interventions must be evidence based rather than as the result of advocacy from pressure groups.

Evidence though, can come in a variety of forms.  Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett in The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone, argue that what they call our broken societies and economies result not from the problems of any particular individual or group, but from the growth of inequality.

Take mental health for instance, a significant focus for the Improving the Transition group.  The Spirit Level shows that a much higher percentage of the population suffer from mental illness in countries where there is income inequality and New Zealand is high on this list.

Income inequality, where there are huge gaps between rich and poor, is a difficult issue to face when we have swallowed whole the notion of the individual being largely responsible for determining their own destiny.  It is tantamount to saying that the way we have been structuring society is fundamentally flawed.

Entertaining this idea leads to an examination of what constitutes a reasonable life for everyone, not just those that can fend for themselves through difficult times.  It raises questions about the authenticity of scapegoating groups that we consider particularly troublesome instead of considering that we might all be part of the problem.  A politically risky undertaking for any government.

Instead, what normally happens is that the problems of a particular group are highlighted, in this case youth.  Taskforces are formed, research undertaken and reports produced in the hope that their problems can be solved outside of the driving issue of inequality.

Wilkinson and Pickett say, ‘The unstated hope is that people – particularly the poor – can carry on in the same circumstances, but will somehow no longer succumb to mental illness, teenage pregnancy, educational failure, obesity or drugs’. (p239)

Being not right in the head is often solved for teenagers as they age and their brains develop.  Being not right in the head as a society takes longer to fix.

Rabindranath Tagore

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put among them,and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes!

Matthew 18/1 -6

Among its findings, the report said New Zealand “has a woefully deficient number of mental health services that are aimed specifically at young people”.

“Furthermore, doctors, teachers, and parents are poorly trained to identify those young people who might be at risk,” the report said.

“Given that the opportunity for successful intervention is greatest when the intervention occurs early, it is economically sensible to increase the mental health work force in New Zealand, particularly those who are specifically trained to work with children and adolescents.”

It found there are capacity deficits for both mental health screening and treatment, although acknowledged in the current economic climate more cost effective ways need to be found to identify and treat adolescents who are at risk.

“Preliminary work, for example, has shown that therapy provided on-line, or e-therapy, holds some promise for treating adolescents with anxiety and depression. The other advantage of e-therapy is that the cost is low and there is little or no barrier to access.”

Better screening to detect those with mental health issues, and improved access to therapy are also recommended.

“Given the concerns about the possibility that antidepressants can increase the risk of self-harm, increasing access to psychological therapies for young people would be important.”

Read Article Paul HArper in NZ Herald

Image: new.stv.

Convening a night court to determine whether a health board’s decision not to do life-prolonging surgery on a terminally ill boy would amount to culpable homicide was important for transparency, a medico-legal expert says.

At the hearing on May 8, a judge ruled that the decision did not amount to culpable homicide, finding it was in accordance with “good medical practice”.

The seven-year-old boy died the next day.

Last October, he had a feeding tube inserted because he could no longer swallow food or medication. On May 4, the tube, which provided almost all of his nutrition and hydration, became dislodged. Surgery was required to reinsert it and doctors said that without it he would die within days or weeks.

Senior doctors, nurses and the boy’s mother were unanimous that the tube should not be reinserted

Otago University law professor and medico-legal expert Mark Henaghan said the court’s decision was consistent with past cases in New Zealand and Britain.

“The courts are looking for a very strong body of medical opinion. It’s got to strongly say that in this situation it would be just cruel and inhumane to perform this operation.

“It has to be a high standard because generally speaking the medical world is about saving lives, not letting lives go.”

It was a good decision to go through the court to get the decision vetted by the judiciary, not just the child’s parent and doctors, he said. “It gives it a public accountability which is quite important. You don’t want life-and-death decisions being made behind closed doors. ”

Read Article in DomPost

Read in CathNews

My response was “ Thank goodness commonsense prevailed.”  There is no moral obligation to continue supernormal ways of prolonging life.  It would be a totally different situation if he was denied natural food and medicine in the normal mode of intake.  But this was a case of halting  surgery to insert a piece of medical technology enabling him to get nourishment which caused him further pain.  As the Judge noted, “ it would prolong the dying period when death is closing in.”

My prayer is for his mother who has been torn apart in her love and care and concern.    She commented how you always want the best for your children. And during this terrible illness  her every breath has been dedicated to them

“Out of love,  you want them with you.  Out of love you want their pain gone.”  I pray she will receive the love and support  she so greatly needs.

• we cannot control everything in our lives
• modern medicine does not always have a cure
• death is the ultimate passage for each one of us

The overarching principle must be respect for life.

But we need laws to support the decision to withhold treatment. The bar must be set high: to avoid inflicting suffering which will not result in recovery. If the suffering of the family becomes one of the criteria, this may lead to a form of euthanasia. Hard, hard facts.

Even for us believers, it is almost impossibly difficult when faced with the death of a child, to accept that the purpose of our life is to know and love God, and be happy with God in all eternity.

We are in God’s hands; we believe we are not separated for ever. Can we find the strength to be happy for the dying person, who has gone to his or her true fulfilment?

Prayer

Dear Lord, have pity on these little ones who suffer mortal illness. Give their parents the courage to accept your Will and let their children go.

A child of mine,” He said.

For you to love – while he lives

And mourn for when he’s dead.

It may be six or seven years

Or twenty-two or three,

But will you, till I call him back,

Take care or him for Me?

He’ll bring his smiles to gladden you,

And should this stay be brief

You’ll have his lovely memories

As solace for your grief.

I cannot promise he will stay,

Since all from earth return,

But there are lessons taught down there

I want this child to learn

I’ve looked this world over

In search for teachers true,

And from the throngs that crowd

Life’s lanes, I have selected you.

Edgar Guest

Read the rest of the poem

To answer this question we have only to think about what happened in another area of technology…the loss of the XT network in late 2009. Businesses at that time reckoned they had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue. For many the loss of phone access (remember mobile phones  also access the internet) meant the cessation of business for an extended time.

So, the simple answer is yes, we do need ultra fast broadband to progress in the 21^st century.

The good thing from my point of view in this piece of news is the assistance being offered to schools so that learning can take another step into the future. Learning is changing so quickly and if we want to succeed as a nation in today’s global village we need to be hooked into e-learning which is burgeoning in our world today. Smaller schools are struggling to keep up with technology costs so this government contribution will help them leap into the future more quickly.

Of concern is the trimming of the overall Research and Development  portfolio funding. New Zealanders are known to have a tremendous creativity and an ability to do a lot with a piece of Number 8 wire. Try googling NZ inventions.  But again, to stay abreast of 21^st century movement we need devoted researchers and developers to systematically apply this creativity. Cutting their funding inevitably means cutting their numbers.

All this sits within the framework of recovery in Christchurch and the cost of that, not just to government but to private entities. Who of us would envy the decision makers in this area?

Let’s pray that our decision makers have wisdom and compassion while looking to the future.

In an age where the gap between rich and poor in New Zealand is steadily widening, the government has a duty to not just implement new technology that will benefit the rich, but even to target it primarily at those who are so often left out of our thinking. We hear a lot about India’s rapid economic progress, but much less about the fact that there are millions of youth in India who just can’t find a job

Brazil has the goal of giving every school-age child a personal wi-fi lap-top, and to this end has entered into a contract with a major computer firm to manufacture a computer that is a distinctive colour and size and will not be sold commercially. This whole commitment is solely aimed at poor children.

At the moment anyone can access the internet in public libraries. This at least gives the possibility of being part of the IT age to those willing to make the effort to go to the library. However we now hear even this is threatened by new legislation which could take a public library to court if someone (unknown) was downloading material for which they did not have the appropriate licence. Another example of how so many things, unwittingly, are slanted to benefit the well-off, who do not need to go to public libraries for internet access. How ironic if the effect of UFB was to remove what little internet access they presently have, from our New Zealand poor.