From Christianity Today online.

“We suggest it is time to reconsider current ethical and legal structures and facilitate rapid default access to courts in such situations when the best interests of the child are compromised in expectation of the miraculous,” the authors—two doctors and a chaplain from a London children’s hospital—concluded.

The study examines end-of-life cases over a three-year period. In the vast majority (186 of 203 cases) parents agreed to limit or withdraw “invasive therapy” that potentially would extend a child’s life by artificial means. But in 11 of the 17 remaining cases, parents cited religious reasons—“expectation of divine intervention and a complete cure”—in arguing for the continuation of full medical treatment.

A troubling piece and surely a heartbreaking decision for any parent, no matter where you stand on this issue. Does “pulling the plug,” especially when it involves a child, signify a lack of faith? I don’t necessarily think so because everything in all creation is in God’s hand and within  his care, hard (or impossible) as it is for us at times to see. By this very definition then, there must be faith when parents decide to pull the plug after much prayer and careful weighing of the facts.

Read it all and see what you think.