For two months, Erick Munoz has sat inside a North Texas hospital room next to his pregnant, brain-dead wife, with what would be their second child together growing inside her.
Now a judge has ruled that the hospital must follow Munoz's wishes and disconnect Marlise Munoz from life support that it's refused to remove in hopes of saving the fetus inside her.
The judge's ruling Friday could give Erick Munoz a long-awaited chance to bury his wife and move forward to care for their son and his relatives. It would also mean the fetus would never be born.
This is extremely good news for this poor family, who have been unable to bury their loved one and move on with their lives. As I wrote before there was no hope for the unborn child, and there was a perfectly healthy one at home that needed his daddy.
The people who pass these kinds of laws are not "pro-life" they are pro-control over a woman's reproductive organs, and when their careless interference results in this kind of pain for a family, they reveal themselves for what they truly are.
Yeah, and who the heck gets to foot the bill for this awful travesty? I hope it's not the husband! If so he should sue the hospital and state. This is bullcrap.
ReplyDeleteAlso too, here's another "scandal" story on big bully Christy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2539440/EXCLUSIVE-Prosecutor-sacked-bringing-case-against-Christie-cronies-reveals-ordeal-hands-New-Jersey-Governors-mafia.html
The hospital better foot all of the costs. If they try to get Munoz to pay one penny, he should sue them. He'll win.
DeleteIt is most likely the hospital will bill the husband - although he no doubt will legally object (his legal costs in this ordeal should be part of his claim against the hospital). Health care in Texas - for dead people and non-viable fetuses - and the GOP still thinks it is "the best healthcare in the world"
DeleteEspecially, since no insurance will pay for some dead corpse to be kept artificially alive...
DeleteUnfortunately, he IS being billed for ALL of the "treatment" the hospital is forcing onto his wife, all which is not covered by insurance. His insurance company is refusing most charges now since she was declared brain dead. He will sue of course, and hopefully win. Disgusting & horrible situation. If I believed in an afterlife and I was that wife & mother? Oh how I would be coming back from the dead to create some problems for those involved in not honoring my wishes. As a mother myself, I can't even imagine some "law" torturing my body and my non-viable fetus in this manner.
DeleteAND if the substanially abnormal fetus were born, Texas and chickendick Perry would want the poor father to go bankrupt with medical bills before they would support the baby.
ReplyDeleteYep. If he lost his job because he spent so much time at the hospital, they would deny him his own healthcare and unemployment. BASTARDS. After the exorbitant and unnecesasry medical bill wasn't paid, it would go on his credit report, and then employers wouldn't hire him. Tell me again about compassionate conservatives (my ASS.)
DeleteSanity has finally rained down in Texas.
ReplyDeleteScarah and Brancy will have more rants, they are so "pro-life". Texas sucks and needs Ted Cruz so goes the Fungus Cult. {gag}
ReplyDeleteo/t
ReplyDeleteWe have just eleven days to buy 50th birthday presents for Sarah!
I'm hoping my engraved invitation to her gala party is already in the mail! Formal attire required. Sarah will be wearing her pageant gown and Todd will sport his cleanest tuxedo t-shirt.
May hers be as joyful as mine.
DeleteWithin a three month period: appendectomy, shingles and diagnoses for acid reflux, hypertension and two herniated discs.
Happy Birthday, Sarah.
Thank goodness. I hope this family, in time, will heal from the horror they have had to endure.
ReplyDeleteThis law doesn't even apply to this case. The law refers to a comatose patient - not a DEAD patient! IN this case
ReplyDelete1. The patient is dead. the only reason she hasn't been pronounced dead is that hte hospital has chosen not to pronounce her dead. Everyone agrees she is brain DEAD
2. if the patient were alive, she would be have a choice to abort, even within Texas laws.
3. Since she isn't alive, that decision goesn't to her survivor.
4. Her survivor wants life support pulled.
really not that complicated.
Why is a public hospital soooo careful to not only interpret the law this way (which I can understand), but to aggressively advocate to interpret the law this way! I thought it was a Catholic hospital!
Her husband claims he received a death certificate for his wife...so legally she's been dead for awhile.
DeleteHuh. I had heard one of the hospital's arguments at the court hearing was that she hadn't been PROUNCED dead. Either way, she's Dead, and that's a tragedy.
DeleteThis is was just careless and wrong on the part of the state of Texas. To prolong the family's agony and pain of watching their dead loved one lying there with a fetus that would be deformed and damaged. And if the damaged deformed fetus lived the reprehensible Repubs of Texas would not want to financially support that child for life, because the child would have been abnormal, and in need of support for the rest of his/her life.
ReplyDeleteI hope the hospital complies because at this point the corpse is still hooked up in this experiment.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere (wish I kept the link) that the hospital will not charge the husband for forcing him to preserve his dead wife's body. .
ReplyDeletePeople need to understand that if the child couldnt have survived without the mother alive, he wouldnt survive being taken out of her dead body.
ReplyDeleteAnd keeping a body alive while the person is braindead is BADDDDDDDDD
A body cannot function without a brain. The woman was declared brain-dead, therefore dead, so the hospital insisted on keeping the dead body on "life support". Stupid, stupid law and, as one of the lawyers who helped write it, confessed that they hadn't really thought of "all the eventualities". No kidding....
DeleteDivided Loyalty: when a kid with two homes naturally is in a specific mentality in each respective parents home. In their minds, that is dad time, or mom time. This is why it's common to do exchanges at a neutral location and not even involve parents to make it easier on their little hearts. In my work, Ive seen kids in cases with parents who remained best friends go nuts in their loyalties to each.
ReplyDeleteThis applies to kids under 12 or around there. Notice that as soon as the kids in each home, he/she naturally conforms. The fortunate thing is, kids are generally adaptable so any upsetness doesnt last long and usually dissipates as soon as he reaches homebase again. Levi's case is on the high end of fortunate obviously. Especially since each parent has similar ideas for his future (ie Tripps already played in a hockey group) In the future, as hurts heal themselves, both parents can develop a working relationship, giving input to such activities. But the more second parties remain on attack mode and non-understanding to this unhealed hurt, the longer distrust will continue and the longer hurt will take to heal.
What drug-induced stupor are you in?
DeleteHard to tell from the high level of upsetness and his/her work with children whose parents never married and have shared custody and they bounce back pretty quickly.
DeleteIf the level of upsettedness (a highly technical term, so high it isn't even a word) goes up, then the kids in trouble. Especially if mom shakes her head and repeats "Tripp has discipline issues" .
Live Vibrantly! SMH and moisturize heavily and often.
The writings about her body already decomposing is something I'd never thought of...she's technically been dead since Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteIf I were her husband, I'd sue the hell out of the hospital. We all know he'll never be able to afford the bill he'll be presented. His wife has technically been dead since Thanksgiving! What utter bulls---!
Thank you, Judge, for your decision....it's way past time this family has peace!
I have a Living Will and it's on file w/my doctor and the hospital. But, it is a Catholic hospital and I fear them trying to keep me alive. Perhaps it might be a good idea to talk directly to my doctor and possibly the hospital while I'm still able to discuss the matter.
Reading about the smell of death coming from her body is just horrifying. What a nightmare for that poor husband and the rest of the family.
DeleteI hope he sues - hospital and the state of Texas! How was this not a violation of your right to privacy?
DeleteI can’t imagine anything so sad as being brain dead, pregnant and not able to be in control of my body. The belief system that caused this woman to be used in this manner is sick.
ReplyDeleteI remember someone in an equally sad situation. Our new neighbors discovered that she was pregnant, and some time during her 6th or 7th month, they could not detect a fetal heart beat. This was before Roe v. Wade, and there was no such thing as an abortion, not even when the baby was dead or for the health of the mother. She had to bear that dead baby for 9 full months until nature kicked in and she went into labor. Cruel!
DeleteThis also happened to a close friend of mine AFTER Roe vs. Wade, as she automatically went to the closest hospital her OB practiced at when she woke up one night in labor and bleeding at just shy of 6 months. It was a Catholic hospital. They determined her fetus was dead within 24 hours. Sent her home. She had problems with her insurance company allowing her to go to any other hospital in our area as her & her husband wanted to continue treatment to remove the dead "baby". She ended up having to carry to term when she went into labor yet again, at the Catholic Hospital, and then they whisked the baby away promptly and refused to let her hold him and grieve (yet again). Cruelty on top of cruelty. She never recovered from the heinous treatment of her body & mind, they never tried to have children again and divorced a few years later. So much for Christian values.
DeleteI hope that when the hospital hands him the bill, he either tells them to send it to Governor Rick Perry…since…she was "property" of the state of Texas.
ReplyDeleteThis was basically a medical experiment, which was most likely not approved by the hospital committee that is supposed to approve all experiments, which I think means the hospital is going to have to eat the costs. Which they would probably have to do anyway since insurance companies won't pay for "treatment" of a dead person. Bastards!
DeleteWhere ARE Sarah and Bristol and Nancy? This is an issue must made for them-- allow the deformed and damaged fetus to "live," and prolong the agony of the family. Bristol and Nancy have lately been the crusaders against abortion, even posting the graphic photos of the 19 week old fetus that a woman miscarried and photographed.
ReplyDeleteBristol or Nancy (whoever she happens to be that day) also had an interview with a survivor of abortion. Some mean college girl had a saline abortion that failed. The child got adopted and she "somehow" found out about it and now bears witness to anyone who'll listen about her tale of woe.
DeleteMy question is, how did she "come to find out" if the records were sealed? Did her adoptive mom tell her or is it a bold faced lie?
Yeah, the multiple personality bloggers are off their game big time.
They may have been able to keep her heart and lungs working but the rest of her systems probably shut down weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a child, but I know that a pregnancy takes a lot out of a healthy body. How can they expect a dead body, with only the most basic functions being artificially sustained, to be able to provide the necessary materials and environment for a developing fetus?
They need to stop using the term "brain dead". Dead is dead and when you're dead you cannot be on "life-support." There are laws against tampering/interfering with dead bodies.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think the doctors involved are a bunch of cowards. First, do no harm.
I can't imagine what this family's going through nor how this poor man will be able to grieve his wife as she was and not as she was the last time he saw her in the hospital. This bullshit's gotta stop. I hope the family sues and forces the hospital to pay the bill in full.
ReplyDeleteThis wasn't about the right to life, this was the state of texas attempting to do a science experiment with no license to practice and no right to do so from the beginning.
I wish/hope, that the judge also decreed that he does not have to pay for the forced hospitalization of his dead wife...
ReplyDeleteWhat a horrible situation for the husband and family knowing this worman is brain dead. DEAD! What an unforgivable stance by the hospital to allow this woman's body to be the catalyst for "saving the life" of a non-viable birth in utero.
ReplyDeleteI hope this husband retains an attorney and sues the bejesus out of this disgusting and unforgivable so-called hospital. What they did was machiavelian and just plain wrong.