Judge orders Texas hospital to remove life support from pregnant, brain-dead woman
Last edited Sat Jan 25, 2014, 12:22 AM - Edit history (1)
Source: CNN
The Associated Press ?@AP 1m
BREAKING: Judge orders Texas hospital to remove life support from pregnant, brain-dead woman.
Updated with link & excerpt
Fort Worth, Texas (CNN) -- A Texas judge ordered a Fort Worth hospital to remove a pregnant and brain-dead woman from respirators and ventilators on Friday, perhaps ending a wrenching legal debate about who is alive, who is dead and how the presence of a fetus changes the equation.
Erick Munoz, husband of Marlise Munoz, broke down in tears after Judge R.H. Wallace told John Peter Smith Hospital to act on his order by 5 p.m. Monday.
Munoz and other family members had been fighting to have the body released for burial. Hospital officials resisted, saying they were trying to obey a Texas law that says "you cannot withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment for a pregnant patient," in the words of the hospital spokesman.
Munoz left the courthouse without talking to reporters, but the family's lawyers spoke out. Jessica Janicek argued that the hospital was "utilizing (Marlise Munoz's) body as a science experiment."
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/24/health/pregnant-brain-dead-woman-texas/
updated per mods with link
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)Speaking of...what happened to the body of the little girl that had the tonsillectomy?
hamsterjill
(15,220 posts)As to the young girl.
And yes...the battle will begin as I'm sure the other side will seek a TRO.
I sincerely hope that this battle ends here and that this family will be allowed to grieve their loss privately. This should NEVER have escalated to this point. It's ludicrous that they had to go to court to allow their wife/daughter to pass with dignity.
PasadenaTrudy
(3,998 posts)It's been radio silence on her since she left the hospital. I keep checking for news, and not a thing. Strange.
Sheldon Cooper
(3,724 posts)Now this poor woman's family can finally get some peace.
BigDemVoter
(4,149 posts)They've been treating that poor woman like an "incubator."
For Christ's sake, she is DEAD and has been!
jeff47
(26,549 posts)modrepub
(3,493 posts)It was their law that kept her life support anyway. NPR had one of the authors of the TX bill (Tom Mayo) that the hospital had interpreted as requiring them keep her on life support against her husband's wishes. He said that "in his interpretation" the statute didn't apply (a cop out). Have no idea why he would say that other than even he was appalled at this situation.
NPR Interview: [link:http://www.npr.org/2014/01/23/265358241/the-law-behind-the-texas-life-support-controversy|
Progressive dog
(6,900 posts)whatever that means in Texas.
May the family now be able to begin to recover.
LuvNewcastle
(16,843 posts)This whole situation was disgusting. They were keeping a fetus alive by making a corpse suck air. I can't even express my revulsion by all of this bullshit. Fucking monsters. I just hope this poor family is able to get over it without having nightmares for the rest of their lives. I think they certainly have grounds to sue the state and I hope they win so much that Texas has to raise taxes because of it. May God be with the family. I hope this horror is over soon.
jsr
(7,712 posts)ralps
(77,710 posts)A judge has ordered a Texas hospital to remove life support for a pregnant, brain-dead woman.
Judge R. H. Wallace Jr. issued the ruling Friday in the case of Marlise Munoz. John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth has been keeping Munoz on life support against her family's wishes.
Munoz was 14 weeks pregnant when her husband found her unconscious Nov. 26, possibly due to a blood clot.
Erick Munoz says he and his wife are paramedics who were clear that they didn't want life support in this type of situation. His attorney argued that keeping the woman alive would set a dangerous precedent.
snip
JustAnotherGen
(31,798 posts)Last edited Fri Jan 24, 2014, 07:12 PM - Edit history (1)
And commitment and promise to do right by her.
LongTomH
(8,636 posts)http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/texas-womans-family-asks-end-life-support-21647348
Stay tuned for Mike Huckabee's demagoguery on this......
TexasTowelie
(112,067 posts)Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)Here: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/judge-orders-texas-hospital-remove-life-support-pregnant-brain-dead-woman
p.s. not much there yet, but they will be updating soon.
IcyPeas
(21,856 posts)ailsagirl
(22,893 posts)with the hospital telling them they were going to keep her "alive," whether the family wanted it or not. Hasn't the family been through enough? Very sad all around.
I just read this:
More than 30 states have laws like that (which) restrict hospitals' ability to withdraw life-saving medical treatment from pregnant patients, according to legal experts.
That's terrible
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)tabasco
(22,974 posts)Well said.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)No party has standing to appeal the judge's ruling unless the state appeals and argues compelling interest on the part of Texas citizens. I don't think the latter would go far.
Niceguy1
(2,467 posts)ellenfl
(8,660 posts)no one else should have standing to continue. i'm not an attorney but that would be my guess . . . unless texas has a different criteria for 'standing'. wouldn't be surprised. it could be terri schiavo all over again, just a different state.
Archae
(46,312 posts)I took MONTHS after for the politicians to finally be told no more interference.
I have a hunch this will happen again.
NYC Liberal
(20,135 posts)while he was at the pig farm to sign that bill? I'd never seen him act so quickly on ANYTHING. Not even on 9/11, and not even with Katrina.
WillyT
(72,631 posts)Solly Mack
(90,762 posts)cynatnite
(31,011 posts)I'm not celebrating until they've followed the family's wishes.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)One thing I wanted to point out from an article that was linked:
The hospital is saying they agree with the husband that the fetus is not viable. If it is not viable, then using the fact that she is pregnant to keep her on life support goes out the window.
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)01/24/14 05:48 PM ET (AP)
Marlise Munoz Case: Life Support For Brain Dead Pregnant Woman To Be Removed
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) A judge on Friday ordered a Texas hospital to remove life support for a pregnant, brain-dead woman whose family had argued that she would not want to be kept in that condition.
Judge R. H. Wallace Jr. issued the ruling in the case of Marlise Munoz. John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth has been keeping Munoz on life support against her family's wishes. The judge gave the hospital until 5 p.m. CST Monday to remove life support.
-snip-
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/24/marlise-munoz-life-support_n_4661938.html
freshwest
(53,661 posts)kdmorris
(5,649 posts)How awful for the family to have had to go through this.