Traumatic Brain Injury: Ethicists Divided Over Baby Emilio

The story of Emilio Gonzales has caused argument between even medical ethicists. Emilio suffers brain damage from a genetic condition that has destroyed his central nervous system. He is unable to see, speak, or eat and depends on a ventilator to breathe for him. The hospital at which Emilio is living says that keeping Emilio alive on a ventilator is cruel to Emilio; he is in constant pain. However, Emilio's mother wants to keep her son on the ventilator, because she wants his to die "naturally, the way God intended." Without the support of the ventilator, Emilio would die within hours.

Fight over baby's life support divides ethicists

Under current Texas law, hospitals have the right to remove life support if medical experts say that the support is medically inappropriate. Medical ethicists differ in opinions on the case. Art Caplan, supports the Texas law that allows hospitals to override a family's decisions in life or death situations: "There are occasions where family members just don't get it right. No parent should have the right to cause suffering in a kid in a futile situation." However, Dr. Lainie Ross, disagrees: "Who am I to judge what's a good quality of life? If this were my kid, I'd have pulled the ventilator months ago, but this isn't my kid."