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Baby Joseph’s story began in February of this year when the  Ontario Superior Court rejected an appeal by his parents to bring him home where  he could die under their care. He had been previously diagnosed with severe  neurological issues, for which doctors said there was no hope of recovery.

The family contested claims that their son was in a “permanent  vegetative state,” offering footage showing him flailing and reacting to  tickling. Their request was that their son be given a simple tracheostomy, which  would enable him to breathe on his own, and be sent home where he could die.

After the decision of the Ontario court, doctors immediately  scheduled the removal of Baby Joseph’s life support, meaning almost certain  death for the young child.

“Monday at 10 am. they will kill my baby,” Moe Maraachli had  told LifeSiteNews shortly after the ruling.  “There’s no more  humanity.  There’s no more chance.  I’ve tried everything for  him.  No more appeals, nothing.”

However, anti-euthanasia and pro-life advocates rallied around  the Maraachli family, and effected a dramatic 11th-hour rescue.

Schadenberg and his organization were able to secure  professional legal help, with the result that the removal of Baby Joseph’s life  support was postponed at the last minute.

Mrs Hogg was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer - an aggressive form  of the disease which affects just four per cent of sufferers - and underwent six  months of chemotherapy and a mastectomy.

Her husband, an IT project manager, considered taking legal action against  the NHS, for what he believes was a 'long summer of misdiagnosis' after a lump,  initially discovered by his wife in around 2007, was dismissed as harmless  breast tissue, then mastitis, and was later treated as a cyst.

My heart went out to them. But I knew there was little I could do. With five other pregnant women to care for at the same time, all with hugely different and complex problems, I was rushed off my feet and didn't have the time to look after her properly, to allay her fears or to hear about how she wanted the birth to unfold.

I longed to sit with this poor young woman, calm her and remind her gently to breathe deeply through each contraction.

Just half an hour of my time could have made all the difference. Instead, I put on my cheeriest smile and followed hospital procedure. 'Would you like a painkiller?' I asked.

Ten hours later, after she had been drugged to the eyeballs to dull the pain, I heard she'd given birth.

Her baby was healthy, but I knew I'd let her down.

As I watched her being wheeled into the ward, I felt eaten up with guilt. She'd effectively been ignored from the moment she turned up until the moment she gave birth.

Plonked on an antenatal ward until her time came, with no one to reassure her during what was most likely the most terrifying moment of her life.

No woman should have to give birth in these conditions  -  let alone in a modern hospital with professional staff at hand.

Welcome to the modern NHS maternity ward. A world of shoddy practice, poor hygiene standards and a shocking disregard for patients' individual needs.

There's is reason to be concerned about end-of-life counseling, but the truth is more complicated. Here's the story.  

The House bill does deal with the issue. (The Senate Finance Committee bill did until the provision was removed the other day.) Section 1233 amends the Medicare law to add "advance care planning consultation" (counseling about living wills and the like) to the list of reimbursable services. The provision defines "consultation," but nowhere does it require Medicare beneficiaries to participate or authorize death panels. (Grassley voted for a similar provision in 2003 when his Republican-controlled Congress added drug coverage to Medicare.)