The comics are...fairly relentless. There is some light at the end of the tunnel though in that really, it's all about Carl. He's a much bigger character in the books than (so far) in the TV show and the main storyline is all to do with Rick striving for his son's life above all else.
The quality of that life is another question itself, I suppose, but if you take on the face value that a fundamentally valuable human life should not be thrown away, it makes sense.