Baby Joseph Rescued, Transferred to Catholic Hospital in St. Louis

The plight of this little boy and his family has moved the heart of the world

Finally some good news!  Thanks to the efforts of Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life and many tireless volunteers, Baby Joseph has been transferred to Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis, MO.  His new doctors have said he will likely receive the tracheotomy by the end of this week.  We rejoice that this little child's life and dignity will now be protected.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - Finally, some good news!

Baby Joseph's life is no longer being threatened.  He is now receiving the care he deserves; the care his parents have been begging for.

In the wee hours of morning on March 14, Fr. Frank Pavone helped transport Baby Joseph and his father to the United States onboard a specially-equipped air ambulance, paid for by Priests for Life.  Joseph was admitted to Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Fr. Pavone and Baby Joseph's family have been battling for weeks with London Health Services Centre to release his medical records and allow him to be transferred, but LHSC kept refusing.  They finally relented, and now the Catholic hospital in St. Louis has taken over little Joseph's care.  Fr. Pavone credits the efforts of many wonderful volunteers who have worked around the clock to make this transfer happen, including Bobby Schindler and Dr. Martin McCaffrey, a neonatologist in North Carolina.

LifeSiteNews reports that Dr. Robert Wilmott, head of pediatrics at Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center told media late Monday that Joseph "will likely have a tracheotomy performed by the end of this week to facilitate his transition to a skilled nursing facility."

LHSC in Ontario has repeatedly insisted that Baby Joseph is in a persistent vegetative state, and thus they refused to do the tracheotomy because they did not consider it palliative care.  However, Baby Joseph's doctors at Cardinal Glennon have said that Joseph is breathing primarily on his own and is responding to touch.

His father, Moe, has expressed the family's sincere gratitude for all the support and help they have received in their fight to save their son from a medical and judicial system that only wanted to ensure his death rather than care for his life.  In a video on the Save Baby Joseph Facebook page, Moe Maraachli thanked all those who urged the London hospital to release Baby Joseph for transfer.  Moe also wrote that now he is finally able to pray with Joseph privately, since LHSC had required security to be present whenever his parents wanted to be with their son.

We join with the Maraachli family and Fr. Pavone in rejoicing that Baby Joseph's life and dignity will now be protected.  We are grateful to the physicians at Cardinal Glennon for giving this child life-affirming medical care.

LHSC's written statement about Baby Joseph's release and transfer is here.

Fr. Frank Pavone's statement on Baby Joseph's rescue is here.  Anyone interested in helping support Baby Joseph can make a donation toward the cost of his hospital treatment at Priests for Life website.  Priests for Life has committed to paying for Joseph's care here in the U.S.  Your support is needed and greatly appreciated.

Please continue to pray for Baby Joseph and his parents, along with Fr. Pavone and all those who labored to rescue this precious child.

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Jennifer Hartline is a contributing writer for Catholic Online.

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