The parents of children are truly surrogate consenters. That is the child does not have the cognitive judgement or is unable to make informed decisions and the parents makes decisions for the child.
These decisions may or may not be in the best interest of the child. The courts in the U.S. can and will name a guardian for the child. It may be because the parents wish to discontinue medical treatment that is successfully treating a condition as in this case and if you read the article it does indeed refer to surrogate consent by parents. Published in the Offical Journal of American Society of Clinical Oncology
http://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/jco.2006.06.4709
Right wing conservatives are using this child as a shining example of what a universal healthcare system will take from our society. If this "freedom" for competitive insurance providers is so effing great, tell me how it is that someone like me who pays 4 or more times what any employee with employer subsidized insurance is unable to purchase anything? I'm 85% if not 100% sure I pay more than you and am willing to continue to pay high rates BUT I CANNOT, there is not an option. Free market and choice does not exist.
As for "raising all the funds", if estimates of $5000 a day for ventilated patients in a hospital is average (as some sources cite and I'm sure several actual practicing healthcare providers could attest too) that $1,000,000 will be enough for ~0.54 year or 200 days. That doesn't include things like infections or complications for unknown treatment side effects or transport or additional doctors fees. Their go fund me donors are going to dry up as the next heart strings cause arises.
Gosh after 200 days he is, now as what a temporary citizen, eligible for US care he is now on that tax payer sucking Medicaid dollars. Medicaid contracts which pay ~0.75 on the dollar, that $5000/day is now costing you the taxpayer $3750 outright and subtlety an increase in your healthcare premiums because the other $1250/day needs to be recouped somehow.
There is no real documentation that this is even a miniscule piece of evidence that this will do anything, as this baby's particular condition is not like any of the others described and that hasn't been positive either.
For me, it's the inhumane treatment of an infant that is the biggest issue. A person, no matter what age, deserves dignity and this extended life without brain activity and controversial treatment is inhumane.
It's convenient to use Charlie as the shining example of "death panel" but ignore your own death panels. Sure call me a bleeding liberal, call me whatever you want. Again I am 90% sure I've seen more children with diseases who died than you have. Sat with parents during their child's illness. Taken care of more infants who had just brain stem autonomic nerve reactions with no brain activity. Cried more tears at children's funerals.