Should a dying child have the right to decide between "heaven or the hospital?
An Oregon family’s decision to respect the end-of-life choice of their 5-year-old daughter has sparked a heated debate about this difficult question.
Juliana Snow has suffered from an incurable neurodegenerative illness called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, or CMT, since birth. The child can’t move or eat, wears a breathing mask at all times, and is confined to the four walls of her family’s Portland home.
According to her doctors, Juliana’s CMT has progressed to such a critical stage that even a minor cold could now kill her.
"For her, there is no light at the end of the tunnel," Dr. Danny Hsia, Juliana’s pulmonologist, told CNN. "She doesn't have a long time to live.