"It's not. There is a ventilator involved here, not just a feeding tube."
Christopher Reeve also had a ventilator. Stephen Hawkings has a ventilator.
What the Church teaches is that if death is imminent - then extraordinary means need not be used to extend life.
There is not enough information in the story to tell us if this boy is terminal or not.
If the mother is right, and he did respond to her, it is possible he could recover - but how will anyone know if the ventilator is pulled too soon?
There's an awful lot of people who want to pull these ventilators because they're thinking of the monetary cost.
It is possible that in the rush to say "it is hopeless" some patients may be denied the one thing that could have saved them....precious time.
But neither of these men had extensive brain damage.
What the Church teaches is that if death is imminent - then extraordinary means need not be used to extend life.
Death does not have to be imminent. The Church teaches that extraordinary means do not have to be used to maintain human life.
Whose judgment should be trusted here? The mother, who lost custody of this child through neglect, or the doctors who have been treating this child for nearly two months?
The medical providers don't seem to be noting "vital signs". That's the best indicator if someone is near death or not.