Parents of the infant sued the hospital where the infant was born and several related corporations alleging that the defendants were liable for lifetime medical expenses of the child because physicians and hospital personnel ignored oral instructions given by the parents prior to birth not to engage in "heroic measures" to save the infant's life at birth. In a decision that could have nationwide implications for hospital practice, the Supreme Court sustained the defendants' argument that pre-birth instructions by parents attempting to act on the child's behalf and decline lifesaving treatment could not be "informed" and were inappropriate under the circumstances. And, when the infant was born, she was in an emergency situation making it medically impossible to obtain informed consent to treat. The emergency gave the treating physicians, so the court held, implied consent to employ lifesaving measures. Miller ex rel. Miller v. HCA, Inc., 47 Tex. Sup. Ct. J. 12 (September 30, 2003).