Hellobee Boards

Yea, I can see making a statement to my husband like "pull the plug if needed" not thinking that I would have to specify, "not if that means loosing an unborn child too".

@T.H.O.U.: Exactly.

This story does not have enough information for me to feel one way or the other. This is devastating. Is the mother completely without a chance for surviving? What types of tests and accuracies do the fetal tests have?

How sad! If she is only 14 weeks that's a long time before the baby is viable. But I agree, even if I didn't want to be on life support, I would want it if there even a chance it could carry the baby to term.

Then again I can see from his point of view, suddenly being a single dad, with a potentially very sick or disabled baby on the way that he probably doesn't feel that bonded to yet (Dh didn't feel bonded to our baby until later- he was happy, but it wasn't real until he could see my belly, feel her moving). I still disagree with pulling life support but you can see how overwhelming a choice it would be.

I am extremely uncomfortable with state statutory language that relegates women to the legal status of “incubator”, when they cannot give consent to that course of action.

I understand that from a heart/feelings perspective it’s easy to say most/many/all women would want their bodies kept alive in order to give a non-viable fetus the chance to grow; however, I’m extremely uncomfortable with the government making that decision on behalf of women who cannot give consent.

I think if your partner has been very clear about their DNR wishes, you need to respect those 100%, even if those wishes conflict with your own. The stickiness for me would be whether or not the woman contemplated and discussed pregnancy in relation to her DNR wishes.

I'm an ICU nurse so I'm involved with many situations where people are being sustained by machines. Obviously I don't know anything about this case, but because the woman was unconscious when her husband found her, she (and the baby) were likely without oxygen for a long time. If the assumption is that she had a pulmonary embolism, then the reason for her current condition is lack of oxygen to the brain.

I would be curious to hear what the husband has heard from neonatologists / neurologists about the baby's prognosis. Just because a baby has a heartbeat doesn't mean that the brain will function anywhere close to normally after a long period of time without oxygen.

Everything about this story is heartbreaking

I wonder what the woman's parents think? Does anyone remember the Terry Schiavo case? It was devastating all around.

Although we want to think that of course the mother would have wanted her baby to live on and be born and of course the father wants and loves his child enough to override his wife's wishes, I think the reality is much more complicated than that. Even if the father wants to see his child be born healthy and alive, he may still feel obligated to keep his promise to his wife and remember the circumstances that drove her to make that directive. As much as he loves his child, he may love his wife even more and not want to force her to be an empty shell.

From the information in the story, I completely side with the guy. If the wife had expressed her wishes clearly, it must be so hard to witness her body being run on machines when he believes her soul has left. And she was still so early in the pregnancy-- to keep her alive until full term basically turns her into a human incubator for 26 weeks-- half a year. I'm not saying a lot of women wouldn't be more than thrilled to be able to do this for their baby, regardless of the risk of something being wrong with him or her. But I don't think she should HAVE to. And I don't think the law should override the husband's decision. I would probably feel differently if she was 30 weeks pregnant and they wanted to keep her going another 6 weeks to let the baby finish maturing enough to be born-- but 14 weeks is still early enough to get an abortion I think, even in Texas, so it seems like it should've been clearly his call.

@Mrs. Blue: But who would know better than her husband? Why does the state of Texas get to presume they know his wife better than he does?

I feel like it's such a private issue that it's terrible that it's in the news at all. No one should be able to judge a man in his position.

I would want to stay alive. I mean. I'd be no worse off and my baby might live.

ETA: I would NOT want my husband or the doctors assuming that I would rather go ahead and die and not give my baby a chance to live than wait and see. I assume that's why the law is in place.

I saw on update on this case come across my FB newsfeed this morning so I thought I would update this thread. I have been thinking about this family a lot; what a horrific situation to be in.

It looks like another, different judge will be hearing the case shortly, and will determine if she should be removed from life support, per her family’s wishes.

***********Note: article language might be upsetting**********

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/22/22404705-fetus-of-texas-woman-on-life-support-distinctly-abnormal-family-lawyers-say

From the article: “Even at this early stage, the lower extremities are deformed to the extent the gender cannot be determined,” the statement says. In addition the statement says the fetus has swelling of the brain — “hydrocephalus” — as well as a possible heart problem.“Quite sadly, this information is not surprising due to the fact that the fetus, after being deprived of oxygen for an indeterminate length of time, is gestating within a dead and deteriorating body, as a horrified family looks on in absolute anguish, distress and sadness,” the statement from Munoz's lawyers Heather King and Jessica Janicek read.

@yoursilverlining: Wow. That's just heart breaking. What a horrible situation all around for that family. So sad.

It should be his decision to make. It's brutal either way. I don't know any mother who would want their child to be kept alive under those conditions. I don't know how any father would be able to deal with the guilt of making the decision to pull the plug on both of them, even if he knew it was the right decision.

How terrible for everyone involved. I think they should respect the families wishes. Let them all grieve and move on.

Oh man, this is the first I'm reading this. My first impulse was to keep her alive to grow the baby, (and I'm always telling DH to pull the plug on me...I never thought to specify this occurence!) but if the baby isn't doing well...I just have no idea. I do think it should be up to the husband in this case.

The baby is 22 weeks...maybe they can section it out in a couple weeks and let the mother go? Then determine if the baby can even survive?

I don't know...I cannot imagine.

Wow how heartbreaking. I really hope they let the wife come off life support as that is what the husband wants. For me personally, I would not want to be kept alive to be an incubator for my unborn child. Especially if it happened so early in the pregnancy.