• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support[W:315]

Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

Not unheard of... certainly doesn't happen very often... not insane.

The mom's dead, the kid isn't. You can't save the mom. You have no reason whatsoever to kill the kid. Makes sense.

Hospital is only "refusing" to break the law.
 
Last edited:
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

Wow, nothing good in this story. If a healthy woman has a right to choose, then since a brain dead woman cannot make that decision, then I would prefer to go with the wishes of the husband over the wishes of the state--regardless of what the husband chooses.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

The uncertainty of the child's health is the reason the Dad and mother are wanting to kill it. They don't want the responsibility of caring for the child if it isn't normal.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

Not unheard of... certainly doesn't happen very often... not insane.

I would be interested in seeing other cases cited where the hospital kept a dead person's body functioning against the wishes of the patient and the family. Just post the links you refer to.

The mom's dead, the kid isn't. You can't save the mom. You have no reason whatsoever to kill the kid. Makes sense.

Hospital is only "refusing" to break the law.

Who does the hospital plan on sending the bill to? The mother was without oxygen for an hour, therefore the fetus was without oxygen for an hour. If the fetus is eventually born the chances of it being healthy are very slim, the chances of survival are slim.

Who will pay for a lifetime of medical expenses for the child if it is borns?

In response to your final point - the Hospital is interpreting the law. Most others interpret the law to apply to patients who happen to be living.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

I would be interested in seeing other cases cited where the hospital kept a dead person's body functioning against the wishes of the patient and the family.

The only case I'm aware of - without needing a link - the hospital kept the deceased mother on life support long enough that the baby would live... in accordance with her wishes. These cases of pregnant comatose or pregnant brain-dead patient are pretty rare, as you might imagine they would be.

I'm sorry, of course you're right that this case is different in that here we have destructive selfishness on display... hopefully just brought on by irrational grief.

Who does the hospital plan on sending the bill to?

A kid's medical expenses are usually paid for by their parents, are they not?

In response to your final point - the Hospital is interpreting the law. Most others interpret the law to apply to patients who happen to be living.

The mom's dead, no argument there. Brain death is death. So what? The care being provided at this point isn't for the deceased. In a pregnancy there are two patients.


Another news piece, same story. Man sues JPS Hospital to remove pregnant wife from life support | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth


You can't sue the hospital for following the law.
 
Last edited:
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

Not unheard of... certainly doesn't happen very often... not insane.

The mom's dead, the kid isn't. You can't save the mom. You have no reason whatsoever to kill the kid. Makes sense.

Hospital is only "refusing" to break the law.

The woman had an advance medical directive stating that she did not want life support or cpr.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

The woman had an advance medical directive stating that she did not want life support or cpr.

Yes, I'm aware of that.

I'm also aware of the fact that the kid couldn't possibly have such a document in place.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

This makes my head hurt. I can't wrap my head around how this can be legally allowed. To force a woman to carry full term is taking away her right to choose. But then she's dead, so she can't choose anyway.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

She was 14 weeks when this first happened - only now is she 20 weeks.

SHE made the choice and decided she didn't want to be on life support. They should not have the right to alter HER decision on this.

Respect the final wishes of the deceased when it comes to their actual body, please.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

This makes my head hurt. I can't wrap my head around how this can be legally allowed. To force a woman to carry full term is taking away her right to choose. But then she's dead, so she can't choose anyway.

To me, this issue revolves around her stated wishes not to be on life support, and also that of her husband's, who is supportive of her stated wishes, prior to her death.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

This is one of the creepiest things I've ever seen. A freaking zombie incubating a fetus that could be severely damaged already. Reality really is stranger than fiction... I sincerely hope for a miracle and that the baby will be okay. The odds are so not good, tho...
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

Like the little girl who's still on life support after an operation resulting in brain death I can only call this grotesque.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

To me, this issue revolves around her stated wishes not to be on life support, and also that of her husband's, who is supportive of her stated wishes, prior to her death.

Agreed, but I have to ask myself, would she be so willing to have the plug pulled if she knew it would kill her baby? I'd bet money she'd rethink her wishes, if for no other reason than to let the baby live.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

Agreed, but I have to ask myself, would she be so willing to have the plug pulled if she knew it would kill her baby? I'd bet money she'd rethink her wishes, if for no other reason than to let the baby live.

I really have no way of knowing, From what I understand, she and her husband were both paramedics (I could be wrong- it's just what someone told me a few days ago). If that is the case, I'm not really too convinced in assuming that her wishes would be life on a ventilator for months, would depend on the life of the baby. There is no way that I can really say what I would want, myself, but I tend to think I'd rather my baby die along with me, than to leave it up to chance on what kind of life it would have without its mother. But that's probably just me.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

Not unheard of... certainly doesn't happen very often... not insane.

The mom's dead, the kid isn't. You can't save the mom. You have no reason whatsoever to kill the kid. Makes sense.

Hospital is only "refusing" to break the law.

But is there no respect for the dead woman?

hold on, if the story claims the woman is "dead" why is the baby still alive?
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

To me, this issue revolves around her stated wishes not to be on life support, and also that of her husband's, who is supportive of her stated wishes, prior to her death.

If that is her husband's wish then it should be respected.

It wasn't that long ago that if a pregnant woman died, that was it for the fetus (99 times out of 100 anyway). That's the natural order of things. Keeping her alive here and now is what's really against natural law.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

Not unheard of... certainly doesn't happen very often... not insane.

The mom's dead, the kid isn't. You can't save the mom. You have no reason whatsoever to kill the kid. Makes sense.

Hospital is only "refusing" to break the law.

That law should change then. It's ridiculous that against her wishes, her husband's wishes, and her family's wishes that she would be kept alive. The natural, some might say "intended by God" thing to do would be to let her die. People die. Pregnant women die. Sorry if that's an unpleasant news flash. I'm very sorry that the fetus dies also, but that is the way of the natural world.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support


Doesn't seem insane to me - but then we never know the entire story when these things come up.

If the developing child is healthy and can be brought to term, it seems logical to me to do so. I have to say, and all people are different, but if it was my pregnant wife who died in this manner, I'd desperately want the child to survive if he/she could to help honour and remember the woman I loved.

Personally, I think it's insanity that the husband wouldn't want to do everything possible to save the child - unless, of course, he didn't want it in the first place.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

Doesn't seem insane to me - but then we never know the entire story when these things come up.

If the developing child is healthy and can be brought to term, it seems logical to me to do so. I have to say, and all people are different, but if it was my pregnant wife who died in this manner, I'd desperately want the child to survive if he/she could to help honour and remember the woman I loved.

Personally, I think it's insanity that the husband wouldn't want to do everything possible to save the child - unless, of course, he didn't want it in the first place.

how can we be sure the baby is healthy given the state of the mothers health?
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

The woman had an advance medical directive stating that she did not want life support or cpr.

That wish applied only to her, we do know she wanted to give life to this baby.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

The hospital is caught between a rock and a hard place. If they take the woman off life support they can be sued, if they leave her on, well, they're getting sued. From the article:

A spokesman for the hospital welcomed the move.

'JPS is encouraged by this development because the courts are the appropriate venue to provide clarity, direction and resolution in this matter,' J.R. Labbe said.

'JPS remains focused on providing compassionate care to all patients while also following the law as it applies to healthcare in the state of Texas,' he continued.


Read more: Family of brain dead 20-week pregnant mom suing hospital refusing to turn off her life support until the baby can be born | Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

It should be adjudicated.
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

The woman had an advance medical directive stating that she did not want life support or cpr.

That's fair - but let's say, however, in an abstract and admittedly crazy possibility, that a set of conjoined twins had differing views on life-support. Perhaps one had a serious problem or accident, was in a coma or brain dead and had given a directive not to put on life support - but the other twin's life depended upon life support being applied until such time as he/she could be medically treated and able to survive on his/her own. Should both have to die because one didn't want life support?
 
Re: Texas Hospital keeping pregnant dead lady on life support

Doesn't seem insane to me - but then we never know the entire story when these things come up.

If the developing child is healthy and can be brought to term, it seems logical to me to do so. I have to say, and all people are different, but if it was my pregnant wife who died in this manner, I'd desperately want the child to survive if he/she could to help honour and remember the woman I loved.

Personally, I think it's insanity that the husband wouldn't want to do everything possible to save the child - unless, of course, he didn't want it in the first place.

Maybe he just prefers natural law to take over. It seems completely illogical to me. In nature, when a pregnant mammal dies, usually the fetus also dies. That's nature, that's how it works. This isn't an abortion thing, this is simply the natural way of things.
 
Back
Top Bottom