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Emilio Gonzales is a 17-month-old boy in Austin, Texas, suffering from Leigh's disease, a rare, incurable, degenerate disorder. The genetic disease has left the child, who is kept alive by a ventilator, unable to see, speak or eat.

Doctors at Austin Children's Hospital believe that the toddler is experiencing immense pain, and they contend that keeping him alive is cruel because there is no cure for his condition.

A Texas law gives hospitals the right to end life support if doctors feel further treatment is futile. The doctors are attempting to exercise their right and stop treatment.

The child's mother, Catarina Gonzales, is fighting the hospital's decision.

Gonzales wants her son kept alive on the ventilator. She wants him to die "naturally, the way God intended."

This case and many others like it leave people of faith sharply divided.

There are those who are outraged by the law that gives the hospital the right to make life-and-death decisions even in the face of family disagreement. But some medical ethicists defend the law, suggesting that family members do not have the medical expertise and are often too emotional to make a decision in the best interest of the patient.

Emilio's mother is facing harsh criticism for fighting to keep her child alive despite his suffering. Critics point out that if her intent is to allow her child to die naturally, then she should not be opposed to the hospital's decision to end life support and let her son die.

The Bible's stance is, "Thou shall not kill," which is better understood to mean, "Thou shall not murder."

The disagreement is usually not in the meaning of the Scripture but rather in what constitutes murder.

Removed from the ventilator, Emilio would die within hours. The question then becomes, if removing life support can really be deemed murder.

Families all too often are faced with the agonizing decision of whether to watch a loved one suffer or let them die. The agony is further compounded by the public scrutiny, as these cases play out in the media.

It is safe to assume that no one cares more about Emilio than his mother and any decision she makes is not out of malice but what she genuinely perceives as the best decision for her child.

God understands the anguish of a family member faced with such a choice. In the end, even if the wrong decision is made, God is faithful and just to forgive.

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* COREY J. HODGES writes about current events and ideas from a moral perspective. Hodges, the senior pastor of the New Pilgrim Baptist Church in Taylorsville, welcomes comments at coreyjhodges@ comcast.net. You also may send comments to religionÂeditor@ sltrib.com.

The question then becomes, if removing life support can really be deemed murder. Families all too often are faced with the agonizing decision of whether to watch a loved one suffer or let them die. The agony is further compounded by the public scrutiny, as these cases play out in the media.