According to CNN, Baby RB was born with a severe birth defect that leaves him unable to breathe on his own—his lungs fill with fluid every few hours, which makes him feel like he’s choking until doctors suction the fluid from them, which is also a painful process.
While Baby RB’s mother believes (as do the doctors and the hospital) her son should be disconnected from the respirator keeping him alive, the baby’s father has taken the case to court to stop this from happening. He believes that his son might get better with a tracheostomy, and plans to prove that he is able to play and recognize his parents.
So far, Baby RB has been taken off the respirator three times, each time with markedly less success at breathing on his own.
According to lawyers for the hospital, Baby RB’s life is "miserable, sad and pitiful." In a released statement, the hospital calls the case is a "deeply tragic one," but expresses sympathy for “how difficult the legal process must be for both parents and RB’s extended family and friends” all of whom are “taking these steps because they consider it is in RB's best interests.”
Obviously, the decision to let a child die despite having the technology to keep him alive, or conversely, to let him live in tremendous pain with the hope that his life will become better, is not one that any parent would ever want to face.
What do you think you would do in this situation? Is there a point at which you give up hope in the face of the reality of your child’s pain? Or is that never an acceptable option if there is any way your child can live?
