Posted on 03/16/2005 6:12:01 AM PST by Crackingham
The baby wore a cute blue outfit with a teddy bear covering his bottom. The 17-pound, nearly 6-month-old boy wiggled with eyes open, his mother said, and smacked his lips. Then at 2 p.m. Tuesday, a medical staffer at Texas Children's Hospital gently removed the breathing tube that had kept Sun Hudson alive since his birth Sept. 25. Cradled by his mother, he took a few breaths, and died.
"I talked to him, I told him that I loved him. Inside of me, my son is still alive," Wanda Hudson told reporters afterward. "This hospital was considered a miracle hospital. When it came to my son, they gave up in six months. ... They made a terrible mistake."
Sun's death marks the first time a U.S. judge has allowed a hospital to discontinue an infant's life-sustaining care against a parent's wishes, according to bioethical experts. A similar case involving a 68-year-old man in a vegetative state at another Houston hospital is before a court now.
"It's sad this thing dragged on for so long. We all feel it's unfair, that a child doesn't have a chance to develop and thrive," said William Winslade, a bioethicist and lawyer who is a professor at the Institute for the Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Paraphrasing the late Catholic theologian and ethicist Richard McCormick, Winslade added, "This isn't murder. It's mercy, and it's appropriate to be merciful in that way. It's not killing, it's stopping pointless treatment."
The hospital's description of Sun — that he was motionless and sedated for comfort — has differed sharply from the mother's. Since February, the hospital has blocked the media from Hudson's invitation to see the baby, citing privacy concerns.
"I wanted y'all to see my son for yourself," Hudson told reporters. "So you could see he was actually moving around. He was conscious."
On Feb. 16, Harris County Probate Court Judge William C. McCulloch made the landmark decision to lift restrictions preventing Texas Children's from discontinuing care. However, an appeal by Hudson's attorney, Mario Caballero, and a procedural error on McCulloch's part prevented the hospital from acting for four weeks.
Texas law allows hospitals to discontinue life-sustaining care, even if a patient's family members disagree. A doctor's recommendation must be approved by a hospital's ethics committee, and the family must be given 10 days from written notice of the decision to try and locate another facility for the patient.
>>>No, resources are limited or scarce out priorities are out of wack.
Do you support free health care for illegal immigrants?
i saw her on Greta's show and she was an extreme nutcase. i can't imagine that her lawyer let her go on there. Greta was nonplussed when she said something about him being the SUN, and when questioned the mother definitely said, he is the SUN IN THE SKY MADE FLESH AND COME TO EARTH. this was not grief, bc that is just too wacky no matter how crazed with grief you are. she has some mental problems, which may or may not be related to her baby, but it was a sad case all the way around. she was pretty, and wellspoken otherwise, i thought.
True enough. I guess I assumed the reporter had gone to that extent. Hmm.
Believe me, it is NOT; she's a psycho.
"The hospital's description of Sun — that he was motionless and sedated for comfort — has differed sharply from the mother's. Since February, the hospital has blocked the media from Hudson's invitation to see the baby, citing privacy concerns. "
RED FLAG
......tredding lightly.......
I should point out this is NOT your case.
And you weren't forced by the hospital to stop treatment.
This short article does not even scratch the surface of what was going on here. But keep in mind there is a contingent of pro-death "medical professionals" who love the idea of euthanizing.
I wish I saw this interview *lol* Her words do indicate she's a bit looney.
"I saw this baby's mother on Fox once. She is a total raving lunatic. She was going on and on about the baby being some kind of god. You can't believe a word she says."
Really....
wow....
I take it all back.
Right. I agree. And nobody seems to be saying. And for that matter, there is often variation between doctors on what is treatable, what level of effort they want to exert, and what is the bottom line in dollars (that part, sadly). I don't know if she sought 2nd opinions outside of the hospital, but she should have. It didn't help her case to be in financial need or that she was ... quite flakey. It just seems off somehow.
"Do you support free health care for illegal immigrants?"
No, not FREE even if they are illegal.
What should happen is that they should be REQUIRED to pay for it OR back back the amount of the bill. I don't care if payback comes from the person directly, family or friends. If need be, put a lien on property of the person treated or family till it is paid in full.
She may be a nutcase but murdering a baby is wrong.
and i didn't say a word to the contrary, now did i?
"and i didn't say a word to the contrary, now did i?"
No, I wrongly assumed that.
Sorry!
>>>What should happen is that they should be REQUIRED to pay for it OR back back the amount of the bill. I don't care if payback comes from the person directly, family or friends. If need be, put a lien on property of the person treated or family till it is paid in full.
So if they can't pay, then you would play God and ration their access to health care?
If they already have a lien on their property and their wages garnisheed would they be able to seek further health care?
Certainly! I got a bit defensive and so did you...no big deal. The difference between libs and conservatives is that we resolve differences and move on. Militant
Believe me, it's not grief. She is NOT right.
The woman seems to be 51 cards short of a full deck. Either she has serious mental problems or has done way to many drugs. Hopefully she'll get some help now that the fight over her child is finished.
It's sad but the child never stood a chance at life (born with a 100% fatal condition) and is now in a far better place.
""The hospital's description of Sun — that he was motionless and sedated for comfort — has differed sharply from the mother's. Since February, the hospital has blocked the media from Hudson's invitation to see the baby, citing privacy concerns. "
RED FLAG"
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