Utah People's Post

The Latest News from the Beehive State

Sunday, January 17, 2021
Log in
  • National News
    • Female Caseworker Killed & Doctor Shot in Philadelphia
  • State News
    • Car Chase Leads to Drug Arrest
  • Tech & Science
  • Health
    • How to Prepare For Ticks Season
    • Magical Weight Loss Bean Scam
  • Sports
  • Business
You are here: Home / Health / Pregnant Woman from Texas on Life Support due to Anti-abortion Laws

Pregnant Woman from Texas on Life Support due to Anti-abortion Laws

Posted by

hospital_hallway

Following a Texas law, brain dead and pregnant 33-year-old Marlise Munoz from Fort Worth, Texas is being kept alive, regardless of the condition of the fetus or her family’s wishes.

She has been in the ICU of John Peter Smith Hospital after she collapsed on 26 November when she was 14 weeks pregnant. Her husband, Erick, a fire-fighter and paramedic, wants to take her off life support as she once told after her brother’s death that she would not want to be alive in such a condition ever.

The hospital clearly stated that it is not going to comply with their instructions. About half of all 50 American states impose laws of varying stringency that legally prohibit medical officials from removing life support to pregnant women despite of their will or their family’s requests.

A 2012 report by the Center for Women Policy Studies says that such laws mean “terminally ill women may have been forced to merely exist as human incubators.”

Hospital spokesperson J.R. Labbe said he believed the hospital’s hands are tied: “We can’t withdraw treatment from a pregnant person as the law states.” “Every day, we have patients and families who must make difficult decisions. Our position remains the same. We follow the law.”

She said that no officials could answer questions about Munoz’s condition because of lack of signed paperwork from her husband’s side which is required to allow them to speak to the news media about his wife’s care.

screen_shot_2014-01-08_at_11.20.52_amMunoz is now connected to life-support machines for one month on the third floor of the ICU, under the observation of a medical team that is monitoring the heartbeat of the fetus that is now in its 20th week of development. The fetus has not reached the verge of feasibility outside the womb and that Munoz would have a constitutional right to an abortion.

She had been due to give birth in mid-May, but the hospital’s plans for the fetus – as well as its health and viability – remain unknown.

“The measures were largely adopted in the 1980s, with the spread of laws authorizing patients to make advance directives about end-of-life care like living wills and health care proxies”, said Katharine Taylor, a lawyer and bioethicist at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

The Texas Advance Directives Act of 1999 provides a framework for families and medical professionals to convey their wishes and make decisions about end-of-life care, giving the doctors the right to stop any treatment which is medically useless. But it contains the caveat that “a person may not withdraw or withhold life-sustaining treatment from a pregnant patient.”

“It’s not a matter of pro-choice and pro-life,” said Munoz’s mother, Lynne Machado, 60. “It’s about a matter of our daughter’s wishes not being honoured by the state of Texas.”

Munoz’s father, Ernest Machado, 60 said ,“All she is, is a host for a fetus? I get angry with the state. What business did they have delving into these areas? Why are they practicing medicine up in Austin?”

“This isn’t about pro-life or pro-choice,” Machado said. “We want to say goodbye. We want to let them rest.”

Whether the law applies to pregnant patients who are brain dead when compared to those in a coma or a vegetative state is a question of major concern.

The unborn child should be recognized as a separate person,” said Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life. He added, “I would say that, even if she were brain dead, I would favor keeping treatments going to allow the child to continue to survive and delivered alive.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email

Filed Under: Health, National News Tagged With: anti abortion law, coma, life support, pregnant, vegetative

Woman working out at the gym

Just 23% of Americans Are Working Out Enough in Their Spare Time

By

Poliovirus Therapy Gives Brain Cancer Patients New Hope (Study)

By

United Airlines airplane

Passenger Mysteriously Dies on United Airlines flight Bound for Boston

By

Breakfast sandwich

Here Are Some Foods No Nutritionist Would Ever Eat

By

Poppy flower

UN Warns of Surge in Opium-based Drugs and Cocaine Supply

By

U.S.-Canada border

French Jogger Detained 2 Weeks for Accidentally Crossing Border

By

Plus size model

Normalizing Plus Size Could Fuel Obesity Crisis (Study)

By

Giant manta ray

Unique Manta Ray Nursery Spotted off Texas Coast

By

The rainbow flag

WHO Scraps Transgenderism from List of Mental Illnesses

By

456 People Dead at U.K. Hospital after Taking too Many Painkillers

By

Kenyan girls dancing

Kenyans Facing Poor Nutrition as Supermarket Shopping Is on the Rise

By

Pages

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Staff
  • Terms and Conditions

Recent Posts

  • Just 23% of Americans Are Working Out Enough in Their Spare Time
  • Poliovirus Therapy Gives Brain Cancer Patients New Hope (Study)
  • Passenger Mysteriously Dies on United Airlines flight Bound for Boston
  • Here Are Some Foods No Nutritionist Would Ever Eat
  • UN Warns of Surge in Opium-based Drugs and Cocaine Supply
  • French Jogger Detained 2 Weeks for Accidentally Crossing Border
  • Normalizing Plus Size Could Fuel Obesity Crisis (Study)

Related Articles

  • Woman working out at the gym

    Just 23% of Americans Are Working Out Enough in Their Spare Time

  • Poliovirus Therapy Gives Brain Cancer Patients New Hope (Study)

  • Breakfast sandwich

    Here Are Some Foods No Nutritionist Would Ever Eat

  • U.S.-Canada border

    French Jogger Detained 2 Weeks for Accidentally Crossing Border

  • Normalizing Plus Size Could Fuel Obesity Crisis (Study)

  • The rainbow flag

    WHO Scraps Transgenderism from List of Mental Illnesses

  • 456 People Dead at U.K. Hospital after Taking too Many Painkillers

  • Billboard on Texas Interstate Kindly Asking Liberals to Leave

  • Young woman affected by depression

    If You Have PTSD You Were Likely Abused as a Child

  • Obese dog on a leash

    Obese Dogs Can Help Us Better Understand How Obesity Works

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • National News
  • Nature
  • Provo
  • Salt Lake News
  • Science
  • Sports
  • State News
  • Tech & Science
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • West Jordan
  • West Valley City
  • World

Copyright © 2021 utahpeoplespost.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Site Map · Contact

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.