Charlie Gard is not alone. Simon Crosier was denied his right to stay alive in the U.S.

The tragic story of little Charlie Gard has many questioning whether courts should have the power to usurp parental rights. In almost every scenario, parents are in the best position to ultimately choose the most appropriate medical care for their child. Live Action News has been monitoring Charlie Gard’s case:

Despite the fact that a doctor in the United States and other medical professionals are willing to assist with Charlie’s treatment, his parents have been denied the right to remove him from the London hospital. As a result, Charlie’s story has gone viral. He has gained support from a Vatican hospital, Pope Francis, and President Trump, who are now reaching out to offer his parents the help they need to get Charlie the medical protection denied him by courts in the U.K. and Europe.

Even Twitter is exploding with support, despite claims that the social media page has censored a page claimed to be run by Charlie’s family members. The pro-life community in the U.S. has also stepped forward to sound the alarm for Charlie in the hope that he will have the best possible chance at life and that his parents’ rights will be respected.

Last weekend, Live Action President Lila Rose also spoke out during an appearance on CNN International. Rose defended parental rights to seek every possible means of care for a child:

Lila Rose speaks with CNN International about baby Charlie Gard being taken off life support

Rose added:

The Reverend Patrick Mahoney, director of the D.C.-based Christian Defense Coalition, and Bobby Schindler, President of Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network, have received the green light from Charlie’s family to travel to London to offer support. The two held a prayer rally outside the British Embassy Wednesday evening.

Schindler’s sister is Terri Schiavo, who was deprived of water and food by U.S. courts after what the family described as an “unexplained collapse while at home.” Terri Schiavo died on March 31, 2005, of dehydration.

Rev. Mahoney spoke to Live Action News just hours after his attorneys reached out to the family:

Charlie’s story has tugged at the hearts of many in the U.S. Some news commentators are making the claim that what happened in the U.K. to Charlie’s parents would never happen in the United States. Sadly, they are not correct. The case of Charlie Gard also reminds us of another case here in the U.S.—that of little Simon Crosier.

Recently, Live Action News interviewed the mother of another little boy whose parents were denied the right to decide the appropriate medical treatment for their son, born here in the U.S.

When Sheryl Crosier’s son Simon was born with Trisomy 18, the medical establishment labeled him as “incompatible with life.” Sheryl told Live Action News that doctors disregarded the wishes of her and her husband to seek all possible care to keep their son alive.

Sheryl said doctors encouraged her to have an abortion when her 20-week ultrasound revealed that Simon might have a cleft lip. She refused. Simon lived 88 and a half days after his birth, passing away on December 3, 2010.

It was only after reviewing his medical records, weeks after Simon died, that Simon’s parents learned that health care workers had refused to medically treat him as any other child.

Sheryl has worked for years to bring Simon’s story to lawmakers across the nation. So far, Sheryl says, Kansas is the only state that has passed a law to protect parents called Simon’s Law.

“This is a first of it’s kind law in the nation,” Kansas Governor Sam Brownback stated at the time of its passage:

Simon’s Law took effect in the state on July 1, 2017, and can be read here. Kansas State Representative John R Whitmer told Live Action News that he has added his name to the growing list of U.S. lawmakers speaking out for Charlie Gard and is calling on other lawmakers to speak out as well:

Simon’s mother, Sheryl, told Live Action News that there has been an enormous amount of interest in Simon’s Law from other states. “I have had lawmakers and parents contact me through Simon’s Law Facebook page,” she said. “I think we will see more in the upcoming sessions. All we can can do now as parents and advocates for life is fight and pray.”

Sheryl also weighed in on the similarities between Charlie Gard’s case and her son Simon’s:

Tragically, Charlie Gard and Simon Crosier are both victims of societies that often fail to value all human life as sacred.

It’s time for us to stand up for the rights of moms and dads everywhere to protect and fight for their children’s lives.