The Smoking Nun wrote:

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I think the hospital only requests it when there is brain death, but I don't know for sure. Baby RB could be a landmark case in that respect (in the UK anyway.)


Here's an excerpt from another article:

Baby RB faces 'miserable sad and pitiful existence'

A desperately ill baby who has been in intensive care since birth should be allowed to die in peace or he will end up living a "miserable, sad and pitiful existence", a court heard.

Published: 5:14PM GMT 02 Nov 2009

The 13-month-old, who was born with a rare neuromuscular condition, cannot move his arms or legs and struggles to breathe on his own.

His young parents, both in their early 20s, fundamentally disagree about his future and have gone to the High Court to ask a judge to make a "life or death" decision about the boy, known only as Baby RB.

While the father believes everything should be done to keep his son alive, the mother supports the doctors' view that his life support machine should be switched off.

She said would rather cope with a mother's grief of losing a child than to see her son's "intolerable suffering".

If the NHS hospital wins the case, it would be the first time a British court has ruled against the wishes of a parent whose child does not suffer brain damage.

Due to legal reasons which prevent their identification, the father can only be referred to as Mr RB and the mother Miss KB.

MORE HERE

There was a story like that here in Texas. The baby was on life support and the mother wouldn't take it off because it was a US citizen and she was not. Now that baby I felt sorry for.