Posted on 06/16/2005 8:15:30 AM PDT by TheOtherOne
Brain-Dead Woman Kept Alive in Hopes Her 21-Week Fetus Survives
Published: Jun 16, 2005 ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - A brain-dead woman is being kept on life support in hopes that her 21-week-old fetus survives, and the woman's husband said he is certain that's what she would have wanted.
Jason Torres said doctors believe the fetus could have a chance if Susan Torres lives another month and her cancer stays away from her uterus.
He said he decided to keep his wife on life support when doctors at Virginia Hospital Center offered him the chance to disconnect the machines after concluding she would not recover.
"I hate seeing her on those darned machines, and I hate using her as a husk, a carrying case, because she herself is worth so much more," Torres said in an interview in Thursday's USA Today. "But Susan really wanted this baby. And she's a very - how should I put this? - a willful lady. That's probably why she's made it this far."
Hospital officials are not discussing the case, the newspaper reported.
Susan Torres, a 26-year-old researcher at the National Institutes of Health, lost consciousness from a stroke May 7 after aggressive melanoma spread to her brain. Jason Torres said doctors told him his wife's brain functions have stopped.
Torres said the fetus appears to be thriving, but his wife's doctors have told him they know of no cases in which a brain-dead mother with melanoma has delivered a baby.
If his wife and her fetus live until mid-July, or about 25 weeks' gestation, the fetus could survive delivery, though with a heightened risk of brain damage and other problems, Torres said. A full-term pregnancy is about 40 weeks.
"There's not a glimmer of doubt in my mind that this is what she would have wanted," Torres said. "Any chance at all to save the baby, and Susan would have said, 'Let's go for it.' "
Torres quit his job as a printing salesman and has moved into his wife's hospital room. The couple's 2-year-old son, Peter, is staying with grandparents.
AP-ES-06-16-05 1037EDT
Fetus? Alive? Preposterous. It's a mass of tissue.
And starve the little freeloader woman into Nirvana.
Prayers for baby Torres. His/her father is one incredible man.
Could that possibly be because the doctors always pulled the plug before she could?
Just a thought.
Tragic but inspiring.
Let's being throwing "Fetus Showers" rather than "Baby Showers". I demand stores quit advertising to Expectant Parents and instead advertise to People Expecting Fetuses.
I will keep these people in my thoughts and prayers.
Strength for the mother
Luck for the unborn infant
and courage for the father
Amazing story. I hope she can live long enough that she delivers a healthy, happy baby. The baby deserves to live. I hope this child someday finds out just what his other went through for him/her. How sad.
Wow this is a twofer in the eyes of the commie/fascist/socialist Dum. Euthanasia and abortion.
What a incredible testament of love.
What about him wanting his son or daughter?
Good point.
I imagined during the Schiavo case a situation in which a pregnant woman was unable to speak for herself, and the husband said that the wife would want to carry the baby to term EVEN IF it meant losing her own life (as opposed to the situation here). How would those who wanted the parents and the government to "mind their own business" in the Schiavo case feel about that?
I think it was implied. Or at least I inferred it.
Fetus is a Latin word for child or offspring. The pro-death abortionists adopted it to trick the people into believing that what the women were carrying in their uterus wasn't really a baby.
Prayers needed for this family and baby. Please do your magic ping list, BG.
Yes.
You know that the father's wants are irrelevant. Abortion is a female's ABSOLUTE right. If whe decides to do it, it doesn't matter what the situation is, how old she is, what her parents want if she is a minor, what the father wants, or even if she is 1 minute from delivery or anything else.
Actually the cause is unknown, but there is a failure to thrive. I am aware of a case in Germany where the mother was farther along in her pregnancy. Many lifesaving efforts were made to save the fetus, however it perished in utero.
This having been said, I pray for a miracle.
This needs a prayer ping. I'm not sure who keeps the ping list.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.