Alaska Supreme Court Issues Order to Prevent Pulling of Patient’s Life Support

LifeSiteNews ^ | 6/3/08 | LifeSiteNews

[wagglebee]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 3, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) — The Alaska Supreme Court signed an order Friday that will keep Providence Hospital from removing Mari Chamberlain’s life-support tubes. Her husband filed a lawsuit against the hospital to prevent doctor’s from ending her life support, which would most likely result in her death.

“No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life is worthless. A man is caring for the wife he loves; it’s not the hospital’s job to end her life,” said Senior Counsel Joe Infranco of Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). “We are pleased with the court’s decision to allow Mari to continue receiving her treatment, respecting the wishes of the patient and her husband over those of hospital bureaucrats.”

According to ADF, Providence Hospital asserts that Chamberlain’s medical treatment does her no good and that keeping her alive violates its “ethical” standards. Chamberlain’s husband, Peter, filed suit against Dr. Javed Kamali and the hospital on May 16 to keep medical staff from removing his wife’s life support, which would inevitably terminate her life.

“Having severe medical problems shouldn’t be a death sentence,” said ADF-allied attorney Kenneth Kirk, who represents Chamberlain. “Judging a patient’s worth by subjective ‘quality of life’ standards is dangerous. The decision on whether to remove life support for this woman rests with her and her husband alone.”

A copy of the signed order in Chamberlain v. Kamali is available at: http://www.telladf.org/UserDocs/ChamberlainOrder.pdf.

As a result of the high court’s decision, a temporary restraining order against the hospital entered by the superior court on May 20 will remain in effect pending appeal and further order of the court. Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney’s emergency motion for stay was filed Thursday to keep Chamberlain’s tubes from being pulled the following day and is available at:
 http://www.telladf.org/UserDocs/ChamberlainMotionStay.pdf

[wagglebee]

“Having severe medical problems shouldn’t be a death sentence,” said ADF-allied attorney Kenneth Kirk, who represents Chamberlain. “Judging a patient’s worth by subjective ‘quality of life’ standards is dangerous. The decision on whether to remove life support for this woman rests with her and her husband alone.”

Perfectly stated!

[wagglebee]

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[Ann Archy]

YEAH!!! i PRAY she wakes up and SUES the Hospital and the Doctors!

[wagglebee]

If it wasn’t so cold in Alaska I would move. They’ve got an awesome governor to boot.

[trisham]

Wonderful news!

[RightWhale]

The state has the power to decide these issues. We should be alarmed when the state chooses to pull the plug. Also, hospitals are an institution of the state and doctors are officers of the state, and if the decision is made there it is still the state.

[ConorMacNessa]

I believe that this is putatively a Catholic hospital!

[RightWhale]

Also, the State of Alaska does not have Capital Punishment. This should be extended that the state does not have the power of death, and that is how the case should have been argued. FedGov has the power of death in Alaska, oddly, but this case did not rise to the Federal level.

[ArmyTeach]

Not to mention that we have three to four months of glorious summers!

[Deo volente]

Chalk one up for the Culture of Life!

[wagglebee]

What does “glorious” mean? It’s not snowing and it doesn’t get dark? No thanks, though I do plan to visit in the next year or so. :-)

[Sun]

“If it wasn’t so cold in Alaska I would move. They’ve got an awesome governor to boot.”

You read my mind.

[trumandogz]

AS long as the husband in paying for her care, I see no reason why the hospital should let her die.

[Tammy8]

Great decision. This is a very slippery slope some states have started down; I am dead set against it. It should never be up to a hospital when a patient dies.

[baa39]

They don’t specify what the “life support” is, does anyone know? I believe that makes a difference in the morality of the decision. Is it like Terri Schiavo, not really “life support” at all, but merely giving the patient food and water (via tubes)? Or is it that plus a respirator to assist breathing? Or is it more extreme measures like something to artificially keep the heart going and lungs functioning....etc. The term “life support” has caused alot of confusion in the minds of the public, just like “vegetative state,” because there really is no such thing that can specifically be defined that way.

Those on the side of life need to force those in the culture of death to start using accurate, definite and honest terminology so people understand what’s really going on here when doctors play God.

[baa39]

I’m guessing maybe it’s the “insurance plan” or Medicare that is paying the bills, and hence the pressure to kill the patient. It must be thousands of dollars a week to be kept in a hospital, there is strong motivation for the govt and private “health” insurers to come down in favor of “euthanasia”.

[trumandogz]

So you mean to tell me that both Socialized Medicine Programs such as Medicare and private insurance companies Both have incentives to have patients die as opposed to live?

Wow!

[8mmMauser]

Pinged from Terri Dailies

8mm

[8mmMauser]

We have been tempted, very tempted. It is not the cold, only the long winter nights that bother us. More so than Maine.