It is selfish. And self-serving, but sometimes something wonderful does come out of being selfish. There's a difference between causing intentional pain (Munchausen's By Proxy) versus pain due to absense of action (not performing medical work, not treating due to beliefs, etc); are either of those using the child?

One of my friends was not expected to live until her first birthday, much less graduate college and get married (which she's done), because of the extent of the congenital defects she suffered. It's possible she could have been medically aborted, had her parents believed in it (Catholic) or had it been presented (I've never asked).
So. This could have been a case of selfish It's My Baby It Will Be Wonderful during a short, painful life and an early death, but with the Miracle Of Modern Science, she's pulled through. Now, her life is fairly wonderful. Then? Not so much. But? The pain was not unessesary; in order to repair, pain was caused. Pain is still caused on a daily basis due to the nature of the work, but I wouldn't venture that it was unnessesary.

Not asskissing. :D