Texas judge orders hospital to remove life support of pregnant brain-dead woman

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.The judge issued the ruling in the case of Marlise Munoz, who was being kept alive in a hospital in Fort Worth against her family's wishes. The judge gave the hospital until 5 pm on Monday (2300 GMT) to remove life support.

The case has raised questions about end-of-life care and whether a pregnant woman who is considered legally and medically dead should be kept on life support for the sake of a fetus. It also has caught the attention of both sides of the abortion debate, with anti-abortion groups arguing Munoz's fetus deserves a chance to be born. Munoz was 14 weeks pregnant when her husband found her unconscious on November 26, possibly due to a blood clot.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/marlise-munoz-texas-judge-orders-hospital-to-remove-life-support-of-pregnant-braindead-woman-9084538.html

Tragic    I think her family would know best what she would have wanted. I could understand if the pregnancy was much further on but at 14 weeks.  Sometimes I think we have advanced so much medically it's puts us in a difficult position morally.  Just because we have the capability to work miracles doesn't mean we automatically should  

feelthelove wrote:Tragic    I think her family would know best what she would have wanted. I could understand if the pregnancy was much further on but at 14 weeks.  Sometimes I think we have advanced so much medically it's puts us in a difficult position morally.  Just because we have the capability to work miracles doesn't mean we automatically should  

She was 14 weeks pregnant when she was put on life support. That was nine weeks ago, so they'll be killing a 23 week old foetus (baby).

Tess. wrote:

feelthelove wrote:Tragic    I think her family would know best what she would have wanted. I could understand if the pregnancy was much further on but at 14 weeks.  Sometimes I think we have advanced so much medically it's puts us in a difficult position morally.  Just because we have the capability to work miracles doesn't mean we automatically should  

She was 14 weeks pregnant when she was put on life support.  That was nine weeks ago, so they'll be killing a 23 week old foetus (baby).

A difficult one Tess, babies have survived as young as this.  However, the article does go on to say that the fetus is "distinctly abnormal" whatever that means Maybe if the Mum had been 23 weeks when it happened? I don't know what kind of chances of survival the baby would have? Complicated case.

Its a horrible situation but I think the judge made the right decision. Her whole family has been in agony since she and they were denied what was her choice....I can understand, a little bit, why the law was put in place but she was a paramedic and had made her wishes known and her husband, son and family have been in hell....let them rest in peace now and let the family be able to mourn.

It seems the baby had amongst other abnormalities and also the body was not the correct size or weight because essentially it was in a dead body and the mothers body was not able to nourish it properly. I agree with the family lawyer who said she was being used as a science experiment and as a way for the hospital to avoid legal responsibility.

If anything this should make people aware of having in writing their end of life choices....but in this case a misapplied law got in the way.

Just the opposite of the case of Jahi McMath, of Oakland...although, not with a pregnancy complication.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/03/health/jahi-mcmath-girl-brain-dead/

Original Quill wrote:Just the opposite of the case of Jahi McMath, of Oakland...although, not with a pregnancy complication.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/03/health/jahi-mcmath-girl-brain-dead/

Its a horrendous position for anybody to be in and I sympathize with her family but when you are brain dead you are dead....

Yes...just so hard for the family.