There are a lot of people who wouldn't spend a couple thousand dollars to save their own lives, let alone their kids. People get hit with thousands of dollars for their kid because once it gets bad enough, the system takes over and stick you with the bill. If people got a choice, they would not always choose their child. I can guarantee you this. We can see this where parents do get a choice: dental and vision care. There are a lot of kids suffering and going without because of a few hundred dollars.

> If their kid needed a couple thousand dollars to live, a lot more people would be able to scrounge it up.

While I agree that many (most) people would make it work if it were for a child, I wouldn't use the insanity of the US's human healthcare bills to justify anything. It's also insane and a travesty that you can walk into your hospital and walk out with multi-thousand dollar charges you cannot pay. Both can be terrible and unjustifiable.

Your child is very likely to outlive you. In fact, to some, this is a major reason to have children.

On the other hand, your pet will die in your lifetime, unless you are very old or die unexpectedly. So most people are probably prepared for this emotionally on some level.

Emotional attachment does not mean that human is not able to do rational decision. No matter how deep I love my dog, I do not have the same responsibility toward him then toward my child.

Replacement cost is less on a pet.

Yes of course! Remember most of us have dead animal remains in our fridges. Ethics is a complicated subject!