In Re Christopher I.

Kathleen Murphy Mallinger, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for the Minor.

Christopher I., born in September 2001, is a dependent of the juvenile court as a result of suffering severe physical abuse. In an unpublished opinion, Tamara S. v. Superior Court (Aug. 21, 2002, G030646), 2002 WL 1939182 , we described the abuse. We concluded there was substantial evidence to support the juvenile court's findings by clear and convincing evidence that on December 17, 2001, Christopher was violently shaken and thrown against his crib railing by his biological father, who had shaken Christopher on prior occasions; and Christopher's biological mother was unable or unwilling to protect Christopher.

In our earlier opinion, we concluded that the juvenile court was permitted to order continuation of life-sustaining medical treatment pending a court hearing. In October 2002, the juvenile court held a four-day evidentiary hearing to determine whether removal of life-sustaining medical treatment was in Christopher's best interests. Six medical doctors who were familiar with Christopher and his condition testified in detail. Three of these doctors were Christopher's treating…