Exactly this. If there was a cure in the USA, GOSH would have had it. This wasn’t some walk-in clinic that didn’t know how to apply a band-aid, this is one of the best hospitals in the country.

First off, it isn’t strictly an STD. You can get it on your back for instance. Skin to skin contact will do. The stigmatization occurred after the medicine came out. We are talking 90% of people with oral herpes and 20% general population with genital.

I think that is where the whole issue loses most of my sympathy. The parents and other keep acting like if the treatment had been allowed and would have worked, Charlie would be up, playing with his toys and being a normal baby.

It also pisses me off that people are using this as a way of saying that this is what’s wrong with socialized medicine. No, socialized medicine is why Charlie Gard’s parents won’t face crushing debt after fighting for their son’s life. Socialized medicine allows the doctors instead of insurance executives to determine…

GOSH was not the final arbiter. Multiple doctors were brought in from other countries (EU) and all agreed there was nothing to be done. The parents crusade is what put it into the hands of the courts.

We were talking about Hirano and how wildly unethical his behaviour was. You don’t make public statements on the treatment of a patient you have never seen and whose case you haven’t reviewed. He did a lot of damage with his God complex.

Yeah that’s what pissed me off early this afternoon here when they came out the court and still continued to sound like they blamed the hospital.

That’s not at all what happened though.

Yeah, they are implying that the court issues wasted time that could have been spent treating him. They still aren’t facing the reality that nothing was going to help.

You’re right. GOSH is a world class paediatric centre, they were well aware of nucleoside therapy and explored it as an option early on but it became clear that it would not help in this case. You can read their position statement here:

The couple said they had wanted to give Charlie a real chance of getting better and that a “whole lot of time has been wasted.”

Unfortunately, it sounds like they’re blaming GOSH for not being able to start the experimental treatment earlier when, by most accounts the treatment wouldn’t have been able to help no matter when he received it.

I’m a parent and fully understand the emotional want to do what they can. However the asshole pragmatic in me knows this treatment would at best be tilting at windmills and would do nothing to help Charlie. Best to let the lad pass on in his own time surrounded by family.

Age restriction is not even remotely a “ban.”

Getting from A to B is a necessity for most people. Smoking is frivolous and not required for any reason.

You may have made the choice to smoke, but I didn’t. I don’t smoke, yet I’m bombarded with smoke constantly. Walking into the grocery store and ppl are smoking on the bench waiting for the bus, sitting at a red light and smoke comes into my window from the car next to me, walking down the street and ppl are smoking…

Cars realm gas station maybe?

Whatever you choose to do to your own lungs is your own damn business but smoking affects the people around you. At worst, your endangering their health. At best, you’re pissing off random strangers with your gross, rancid fumes in their face. I’m an ex-smoker so I know that you probably try to be polite and keep your…

“I agree that protecting the well-being, dignity, and freedom of minors is vital, but the severe bar this bill creates is not necessary to address the concerns voiced by the bill’s proponents and does not comport with the sensibilities and, in some cases, the religious customs, of the people of this State,” Christie…

Why? Why allow someone who cannot legally sign a contract for a refrigerator or anything else to enter into marriage contract? Why is it a great idea for 16-year-olds to get married?