Judge Orders Pregnant Texas Woman Off Life Support

[Desk trauma]

...good advice.

Unless the state you are in passes legislation saying that it or hospitals can throw such agreements out and make your medical decisions for you.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

The woman is alive. If she were dead the baby would be dead. If stopping the life support to let the woman die is the goal of the judge then fine. But killing the woman and the baby who has never even seen the light of day is wrong. Letting someone die a natural death and killing someone is sometimes a fine line.

Actually I heard a baby can live a few minutes in a dead person. So they need to take the baby out right away. So this woman died and they was brought back to life, but is still brain dead. Now if the baby was survivable at the time. The baby should lead a normal life, but they are saying this baby isn't going to have a chance at a normal life. If it wasn't for doctor and there ability to bring dead people back to life, then this baby would be dead. Why try so hard to keep a baby alive, that wasn't meant to be born ?

 

[SepiaAndDust]

Actually I heard a baby can live a few minutes in a dead person. So they need to take the baby out right away. So this woman died and they was brought back to life, but is still brain dead. Now if the baby was survivable at the time. The baby should lead a normal life, but they are saying this baby isn't going to have a chance at a normal life. If it wasn't for doctor and there ability to bring dead people back to life, then this baby would be dead. Why try so hard to keep a baby alive, that wasn't meant to be born ?

That was the point of the original law, I believe, to give doctors a chance to save a viable fetus if the mother died during pregnancy. This particular fetus, though, has never been viable, and there was never any chance to save it.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

"On Wednesday, the family’s lawyers announced that the 22-week-old fetus was “distinctly abnormal,” with water on the brain, a possible heart condition and lower extremity deformities."

Yes, I know. Praying for a miracle as Christians do.

Doesn't water on the brain mean brain damage, meaning while the mother was dying, so was the baby. Also there's nothing normal about a 22-week fetus being born. Especially one with water on the brain. I guessing they will check the baby out, let him die naturally.

 

[Habbit Animal]

Terrible tragedy.
The Munoz family rather than speak of what they each wanted, should have had a OHDNR - Out of Hospital Do Not Resuscitate order- made up. This way this story would have never escalated to this terrible level of loss.

Mrs.Munoz was taken off life support today at 11:30a.m. She's passed away along with her baby.
God rest the soul of Marlise Munoz and her unborn baby.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

Terrible tragedy.
The Munoz family rather than speak of what they each wanted, should have had a OHDNR - Out of Hospital Do Not Resuscitate order- made up. This way this story would have never escalated to this terrible level of loss.

But it wouldn't have even mattered since they were keeping her alive because of the babies right. No family members were even fighting the husband, just the hospital, because of the baby.

 

[Glass*Soul]

Terrible tragedy.
The Munoz family rather than speak of what they each wanted, should have had a OHDNR - Out of Hospital Do Not Resuscitate order- made up. This way this story would have never escalated to this terrible level of loss.

Mrs.Munoz was taken off life support today at 11:30a.m. She's passed away along with her baby.
God rest the soul of Marlise Munoz and her unborn baby.

I would think a OHDNR order would be more useful for someone with a disorder such as Alzheimer's or terminal cancer rather than a seemingly healthy young person who would not necessarily want to be left unresuscitated if they suddenly collapsed.

Even when my mother was in her late 80's, she still wanted to be resuscitated if there was a chance of her regaining a normal life. This is something a family member can't determine when someone collapses on the kitchen floor, so in that eventuality I was prepared to do CPR and call 911. Now, once she knew she had terminal cancer, her wishes changed on that.

The thing is that if one allows for resuscitation measures out of the hospital, this should not mean that they now have no further choice once they are in the hospital and it becomes clear that all hope of recovery is lost.

 

[Habbit Animal]

It would have mattered because the DNR would have protected the rights of the mother who's rights are superior to that of the fetus.

 

[Desk trauma]

It would have mattered because the DNR would have protected the rights of the mother who's rights are superior to that of the fetus.

Which is where the issue arises with this [expletive deleted] Texas law because some read it that the woman's medical directives are voided if they conflict with using her remains as an incubator even if she has no chance of recovery.

 

[Habbit Animal]

A living will that outlines everything that relates to a DNR and a DPA, durable power of attorney, someone you trust implicitly, is a good idea too.

Other than that and because we're talking Texas here where they believe a person is defined at fertilization, if you know someone who is terminally ill just write out a request that they hold on to that tells them you give them permission to pull the plug if the hospital is an butthead about your wishes.

Or, if you really want to step away from it, just take the leads that go onto the patients vitals and put them on you so the machines at the nurses station register. Pull the plug and when you know your loved one has flat-lined, which is obvious, put the leads back on and wait for the nurses to call the code.

Hospitals make a bloody fortune keeping tissue alive. This husband is now a widower who has to bury his wife, the unborn child inside her of course, and find a way to pay the hospital bill that is enormous.

An answer to his prayer would be a charitable fund that helps with donations to that end.

 

[Sayre]

But it wouldn't have even mattered since they were keeping her alive because of the babies right. No family members were even fighting the husband, just the hospital, because of the baby.

No - they weren't keeping her alive. She is dead and has been dead for a long time. They were artificially making a piece of tissue beat and blood to flow around a dead body. There is a difference.

 

[Desk trauma]

The issue of cost has been brought up in other thread about this law and I wonder if there is any provision for the state picking up the tab for the "care" it inflicts in these cases?

I am not hopeful on that count.

If there has even been a man who should tell a hospital to pound sand when they come to collect this is him.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

No - they weren't keeping her alive. She is dead and has been dead for a long time. They were artificially making a piece of tissue beat and blood to flow around a dead body. There is a difference.

They did that because of the baby right, so no piece of paper would have stop it, because the baby had rights, according to the hospital. That all I was trying to say. So basically they were keeping what ever wasn't dead alive for the baby to grow, but the baby also had signs of dying when the mom died..

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

It would have mattered because the DNR would have protected the rights of the mother who's rights are superior to that of the fetus.

Well you better put to kill fetus in there too, because I betting she would have been willing to stay on life support, if she could have saved her baby. She was talking about her self, not her baby. I'm guessing her decision was made way before she has a blood clot and before getting pregnant.

 

[jmorin28]

Prayers for the family of the woman.

I'm glad that the state finally stepped out and allowed the family to do the right thing. That is a terrible law in Texas, and I hope that the work the family has done to highlight it will force a change. A person doesn't belong to the state. *SMH*

The mom and her baby will be reunited in heaven.

One post you say There is no baby it's DNA cells. You were just supporting pro/choice and planned parenthood in one forum and here you say the "baby" will Accually be a person to reunite with her mother in heaven. Can you clarify this?

 

[Armoured]

Well you better put to kill fetus in there too, because I betting she would have been willing to stay on life support, if she could have saved her baby. She was talking about her self, not her baby. I'm guessing her decision was made way before she has a blood clot and before getting pregnant.

I'm glad you're here to tell us this poor woman's thoughts and beliefs.

 

[Sayre]

This article hit my news feed today:

Family of boy left in vegetative state after car crash gave him a full life for 31 years | News.com.au

31 years in a vegetative state. I know this boy wasn't dead - but he sure didn't have a quality of life.

 

[Habbit Animal]

Well you better put to kill fetus in there too, because I betting she would have been willing to stay on life support, if she could have saved her baby. She was talking about her self, not her baby. I'm guessing her decision was made way before she has a blood clot and before getting pregnant.

And yet that decision was made for her by the State of Texas. And we heard about the condition of the fetus who suffered horribly due to the measures taken after oxygen-dep effected them.

 

[Habbit Animal]

This article hit my news feed today:

Family of boy left in vegetative state after car crash gave him a full life for 31 years | News.com.au

31 years in a vegetative state. I know this boy wasn't dead - but he sure didn't have a quality of life.

Sometimes the selfishness people exhibit delivers the message they'd rather have someone present in their life than living a quality dignified life. It's fear of death I think that compels such measures.

 

[SepiaAndDust]

These sorts of news items always remind me of one of Robert E. Howard's short stories Old Garfield's Heart.

A livin' thing in a dead thing is opposed to nat'er

[size=-2]If you like Howard's work (he created Conan, the Barbarian), you can read about Old Garfield here.[/size]