Couple decide to let disabled child die in hospice

A Tianjin couple's decision to stop medical treatment for their newborn baby, who suffers life-threatening birth defects, has triggered a huge controversy.

The newborn girl suffers from a congenital imperforate anus and other problems. She has been sent to a local hospice by her family without any medical treatment, with only water to keep her alive, said Zhang Wen, director of Child Welfare League of China (CWLC), a Beijing-based charity group.

The baby, who has not yet been named, was born on Jan 15 and received a series of medical treatments in hospital for an imperforate anus, hydronephrosis, and heart disease, Zhang said on Friday.