The case of Baby Isaiah May has been discussed in Canada and internationally. Baby Isaiah was born with the umbilical cord around his neck after a 40 [hour?] labour in Alberta. He was not breathing when he was born but was revived and sent to the Stollery Children's hospital in Edmonton, Alberta. After approximately 90 days of receiving care, the parents of Baby Isaiah - Rebecca and Isaac May, were told the hospital would withdraw his ventilator.
The parents went to court to request another 90 days of care to give Baby Isaiah a chance to further improve. When speaking with Rebecca May, she made it very clear that they hoped to be able to bring Isaiah home and care for him. She understood that Isaiah may not survive very long and if he survived, that he may be profoundly disabled, but she was willing to care for him and love him, no matter what happened.
The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition has supported the wish of the May family to give Baby Isaiah a chance to improve to the point where they could bring him home. The very first email we sent out to support the family stated that if Baby Isaiah were removed from the ventilator, that if he died, it would not be euthanasia but rather a natural death. This comment remains correct. The reason the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is supporting the May family is that the precedent that would be set if the court did withdraw the ventilator against the wishes of the family would have very wide ramifications.
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