A Texas judge today postponed a hearing to determine the fate of 16-month-old Emilio Gonzales until May 8 in order to give both sides time to prepare. Emilio will continue receiving care in the interim.
He has Leigh’s disease, which could claim his life in a matter of months or years. Though experts say a child with the disease can live to be up to 7 years old, an ethics panel at Brackenridge Children’s Hospital deemed Emilio’s life "futile" and told his mother it planned to remove life-saving treatment.
According to Elizabeth Graham, director of Texas Right to Life, the group is pursuing a bill in the Texas Legislature that would help protect children like Emilio. The bill would overturn a law that allows only 10 days for a family to find an alternative placement if a patient’s care is determined to be futile.
“A bill to help Emilio and others in these situations will be on the floor of both chambers in the next few weeks while Emilio’s mom continues her fight to protect him,” Graham said. “I think God is helping us by keeping attention on this boy just four blocks from the Capitol.”
