After fighting the hospital and losing appeals to a government-run health care panel and the Canadian courts, Joseph's parents drew the attention of Priests for Life, a non-profit, pro-life organization that offered to pay his medical expenses if a hospital in the United States would perform the tracheotomy. Cardinal Glennon admirably answered the call. Just hours before his Canadian hospital would have withdrawn life support, Joseph was transferred here.
Decisions in medical cases like baby Joseph's rarely are easy. But a hospital's refusal to allow a reasonable procedure so that a terminally ill child can die at home under the conditions requested by his grieving parents is disturbing.
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