By Zhang Wan

The parents of a baby girl in Tianjin with life threatening birth defects have decided to stop treament. But now the girl is receiving help in Beijing after being taken by some volunteers without permission from a Tianjin hospital.

Medical treatment for a newborn girl suffering from a congenital defect in her intestines stopped on January 25, because her family didn't believe the 10-day-old girl could be cured. Her father said he hoped to see her die without further suffering.

Upon hearing this, five volunteers went to the hospital where the baby girl was being treated. Then they took her to the Beijing United Family Hospital for treatment.

The case has aroused a lot of discussion. Here is Gao Lu, who believes the right to live is more important.

"No one has the right to take the life of others, even if you are their parent. But from the perspective of the parents, I think I understand what they've done. As a parent, they fear that their child would get more and more suffering from the pain, meanwhile, the family would also face pressure and affliction. Moreover, I think for the parents, it's not easy to make the decision to leave their baby girl to die in a hospital", said Gao.

Wang Yi, another interviewee says the case is more about the dignity of life, however.

"We are not in the situation that the father faced. We could not simply criticize the father for giving up the girl's life. Imagine if you see your child suffering and a handicapped life, you probably won't be able to easily say that you want the girl to be alive for that kind of life. However, if I was the father of the child, I would have chosen the hope of life, I believe miracles can happen. Maybe someday in the future, her disease can be cured with the development of medical treatment", said Wang.

After the baby girl was taken away from Tianjin, the girl's father immediately rushed to Beijing along with Tianjin police officers to talk with the volunteers.

According to Wu Jianying, the secretary general of The Child Welfare League of China based in Beijing, the volunteers have obtained the right to custody of the baby for a week.

"The father has agreed to leave the girl in Beijing for further check ups. We persuaded him by telling that the girl could be cured here with the help of medical experts. Now the girl is in a better situation. She is fed with some milk, and nurses are helping her to get rid of waste. She is waiting for further checkup at the moment", said Wu.

Wu Jianying says that although most people insist the girl has a right to live, they don't necessarily understand the parents' dillemma.

"During my talk with the father, I realized they had considered girl's life she would face in the future: she must deal with her handicap, and she won't be able to enjoy a life like others. Furthermore, the girl has to bear lots of hardship brought by various treatment and operations. I could feel that the parents love their child very much, and they don't want their child undergo so many operations and endure so much suffering. I think people who have never experienced such a situation by themselves can not understand this choice."

She adds, being a member of a relief organization, she wishes to help not only those handicapped babies, but also those unfortunate families.