Joseph Maraachli, the infant at the center of an international end-of-life dispute that pitted his parents against the Canadian hospital that refused to treat him, has died.
Joseph, who suffered from a rare genetic neurometabolic disorder called Leigh Syndrome, underwent a successful tracheotomy procedure at a Catholic hospital in the United States in March. He returned home to Canada with his parents and 7-year-old brother one month later.
Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life intervened and helped arrange the procedure at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis.
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Pavone, whose organization Priests for Life provided the financial and logistical support for bringing the then-15-month-old child and his family to the United States, spoke with LifeNews.com.
"I learned with sadness tonight of the passing of Baby Joseph, and extend my prayers to his family," Pavone said. "This young boy and his parents fulfilled a special mission from God. Amidst a culture of death where despair leads us to dispose of the vulnerable, they upheld a culture of life where hope leads us to welcome and care for the vulnerable."
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