TX - pregnant wife unresponsive on life support, husband hopes to fulfill her wishes

[alliemay]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/calif-mom-coma-birth-article-1.1803157
Hope this mother gets better, glad the son survived.

 

[K_Z]

Texas is still addressing issues that arose during the Marlise Munoz case.

Yesterday, on Inside Texas Politics, Texas Representative Matt Krause said he is preparing legislation for the 2015 session that will address the situation in which a pregnant woman is on life support.

Removing life support from a pregnant woman is currently not allowed. But if the woman is dead, like Marlise Munoz was, then stopping "life sustaining treatment" is not prohibited. Krause plans to require the appointment of a guardian ad litem for the fetus to ensure that her interests are represented.

BBM. IMO, this is a very controversial provision that will be difficult to get bipartisan agreement on. It will be interesting to see if the bill is submitted, what is actually in the bill, and what kind of progress the bill has.

http://medicalfutility.blogspot.com...:+MedicalFutilityBlog+(Medical+Futility+Blog)

 

[K_Z]

The fight over the death of Marlise Muñoz, the pregnant and brain-dead North Texas woman who was left on life support for two months, appears likely to begin again soon at the Capitol.

A Fort Worth lawmaker is pushing a new state law that would provide representation for fetuses in court hearings — an idea that Muñoz’s family opposes.

The proposal by Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, would appoint a representative to speak on behalf of the fetus if a pregnant woman is declared brain-dead or otherwise permanently incapacitated. Krause is working with legislative bill-drafters and has yet to introduce a specific measure in the House.

“You’ll hear what the family wants, and you’ll also give the pre-born child a chance to have a voice in court at that same time,” Krause said. “The judge weighs everything and he or she makes their decision based on that.”

Muñoz’s mother said the family is insulted by the idea.

“To me that’s saying that my family was not looking out for the best interest of Marlise and the fetus,” Machado said. “We feel our actions and decisions were based on what was best for both of them.”

In addition to Krause’s measure, lawmakers are expected to offer bills to alter the advanced-directive law and try to push hospitals to keep patients deemed unlikely to survive on life support until families can arrange other accommodations.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/loca...sentation-to-fetus-if-woman-is-brain-dead.ece

Published: 08 February 2015 10:35 PM

Nice pic of Erick, Mateo (age 2) and Marlise's mom and dad with the article.

This is a bill on behalf of the pro-life movement, and is crafted similarly to the requirements that existed in the recent Ireland case where the fetus of a brain dead woman was appointed an attorney for the court proceedings. Another attempt at "personhood" status for fetuses by the pro-life activists, IMO. I don't think it has a companion senate bill at this point, but we'll see. May be a publicity stunt by the representative who wants to be re-elected, or may be a coordinated effort by the pro life activists in Texas. IDK. I hope this fails.

?? "Pre-born"? Did this lawmaker invent that term? Are we going to introduce bills to provide attorneys and legal protection for sperm cells and egg cells, since they are "pre-conception pre-born children?" Yeesh. This is getting really ridiculous, IMO.

And good grief-- a bill to require hospitals to keep brain dead patients on life support until families "make other accommodations"? :scared:

 

[wendiesan]

Sickening.
Dirty old men playing with womens' bodies as though they were toys.
Women can't even escape their molestation in death.

 

[alliemay]

Wow, that's all I can say to the above comments.

 

[EmmaliLucia]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/loca...sentation-to-fetus-if-woman-is-brain-dead.ece

What kind of psychopathic sadist would look at the tragedy that happened in the Munoz case and think, "You know what would be a really good idea? Let's make it ten times harder for these families to get closure! Let's make these families watch their loved ones decompose in a hospital bed, because clearly hospitals are not already overcrowded! This is a GREAT idea!"

Whoever this Matt Krause dude is, with the wording he uses and the ideas he's pushing, I don't think he's competent enough to tie his own shoes!

 

[al66pine]

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/loca...sentation-to-fetus-if-woman-is-brain-dead.ece Published: 08 February 2015 10:35 PM .... And good grief --
a bill to require hospitals to keep brain dead patients on life support until families "make other accommodations"? :scared:

bbm

What the what?!?!?!?!?!

 

[K_Z]

Krause is working with legislative bill-drafters and has yet to introduce a specific measure in the House.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/loca...sentation-to-fetus-if-woman-is-brain-dead.ece

I read this too fast yesterday. There actually isn't a "real" bill YET. It's still in the draft stage. So this is a publicity "ping" to gauge support and leak it that Rep. Matt Krause is behind it. That telegraphs a message of his support to the voters and funders of his campaign. This is a win-win for a politician. Even if they introduce a bill and it goes nowhere, they get the publicity for trying, and the admiration of their supporters (voters).

The TX legislative session began Jan 13, and Rep Krause has until March 13 to write up a bill and get it submitted and numbered for this session. Last day of regular session is June 1, and session ends June 21. So it will be interesting to see if this proposal goes anywhere, gets a bill number, gets a committee assignment and a hearing date, or is just "for show." I'm guessing it has no chance of passing this session, but may be a long range goal of the Pro Life lobby that they intend to work on for several sessions in successive years. I think this is just too controversial, even for Texas, to pass in one session. But I could be wrong!

http://www.austincc.edu/gvtcr/documents/2015LegislativeSessionKeyDates.pdf

 

[Nova]

If I'm honest, I've always assumed the Zombie Apocalypse would begin in Texas. (Before you start, no, I am not talking about young Iver.)

 

[808paradise]

P

More than that.

“According to our findings, prolonged [life] support can lead to the delivery of a viable child,” the study said. “Such children can develop normally without any problems resulting from their intrauterine conditions.”

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/01/23/5509465/very-few-medical-precedents-in.html#storylink=cpy

You keep saying this but the fact is that those were cases in which the mother was not deprived of oxygen for over an hour. This is a HUGE issue that should not be ignored.

 

[alliemay]

Where you quoting that post from a recent post? I can't seem to find the original.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

Politicians and laymen should not be the ones deciding the medical care of any human being. This issue of "pro life" has become so sick and out of control in proportion, that it is causing great suffering because of selfish views instead of what is right for each individual circumstance. Rape, dead bodies kept on machines....this is totally ridiculous!!

 

[wendiesan]

Next up: women will have to prove they did not cause their miscarriages or be charged with fetal murder. These pseudo-religious bigots love the kick backs from the jail complex.

 

[808paradise]

Where you quoting that post from a recent post? I can't seem to find the original.

Skeet,

That post was several pages back. I've been catching up on this thread all day. However, she's trumpeted the same misleading statistic over and over all through this thread. Yes, brain dead women HAVE delivered babies that survived. However, in NONE of the cases she cited had the mother been deprived of oxygen for a prolonged period of time. This is significant and makes the comparison invalid.

IMO

 

[alliemay]

Oh ok just wondering where the post came from. I do think this thread should be re named pro life or pro choice though. That seems to be the bottom line here. To make a comment about this whole issue being about dirty old men playing with women's bodies would be like me making a statement that a doctor ending a pregnancy for the rights of the mother enjoys killing babies.

I personally think it should be up to the family to decide. So, yes I do agree that that the doctors should not be the one's who decide, I am fully aware of how doctors play God, I can relate to some of what this man went through and it is heart breaking.

I feel for this man and the decision he and the family had to make. The only thing I find that doesn't add up is the fact that he was fighting so other families would not have to go through this, that is very noble, but since they pulled the plug on her I have seen nothing to indicate that he is campaigning against this. Don't say you are going to fight for other families that are going through this then choose to leave the picture all though I do understand, in order to move on with your life you have to let it go and I'm hoping the family is healing but I wish he hadn't promised to fight for this cause.

 

[EmmaliLucia]

Next up: women will have to prove they did not cause their miscarriages or be charged with fetal murder. These pseudo-religious bigots love the kick backs from the jail complex.

It's already happening:

Charged with murder after having a stillborn
Very true, she abused cocaine during her pregnancy, but there's no evidence that the cocaine is what caused the stillbirth. (In fact, A large study found that crack only increased the rate of pre-term birth and asthma in children)

Bei Bei Shuai

Just... Don't get pregnant in Alabama.

Welcome to your nightmares:

This year, the Georgia legislature considered a bill that would require women to prove their miscarriages “occurred naturally” and weren’t secret abortions.

 

[Nova]

Un-effing-believable! You gals who continue to vote for these yokels--even if you are anti-abortion--confound me. Guys, too, but especially GOP-supporting women.