Mom seeks to euthanize girl she gave up

AP via the Washington Times ^ | December 6, 2005 | Adam Gorlick

[Warhammer]

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- Allison Avrett's photos show her daughter Haleigh as a smiling little girl with brown bangs hanging over her squinting eyes. Those pictures were taken before Mrs. Avrett gave up Haleigh for adoption five years ago, and long before the purported beating that landed the 11-year-old in a hospital attached to the ventilator and feeding tube.

Now, with Haleigh's doctors saying she will never recover from her vegetative state, the child is at the center of a life-and-death legal struggle.

[Warhammer]

What do you do after something like this? Justice was done for the mom. Justice can still be done for the step-father. But what do you do for the child? I don't know that it's the state's place to order her death, but I think that her step-father has lost his rights to decide.

So who speaks for the child?

[MineralMan]

" In a legal brief filed ahead of today's hearing, Mr. Strickland, 31, asks to be declared Haleigh's de facto parent. His attorney, John Egan, insists that his client is not motivated by the chance he could be charged with murder if the girl dies.
"

Yeah...right....

He's the one who caused these mortal injuries. If this girl has severe brain stem damage, she will not recover.

[Bones75]

This is unbeleivable.

" In a legal brief filed ahead of today's hearing, Mr. Strickland, 31, asks to be declared Haleigh's de facto parent. His attorney, John Egan, insists that his client is not motivated by the chance he could be charged with murder if the girl dies.
"We should be coming down on the side of life as opposed to death," he said. "

Is that why you beat her into a vegetable? Coming down on the side of life?

What a scumbag.

Bones

[atomicpossum]

Let the little girl live.

Euthanize the rest of this decrepit family.

Sheesh.

[AppyPappy]

If this girl has severe brain stem damage, she will not recover.

.22 to the back of the head should do it. Any volunteers? I personally prefer starving them to death but it's hard to torture them when Congress is debating the practice.

[Calpernia]

Prolife ping

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

This would make an interesting episode of "Law and Order".

[lugsoul]

"So who speaks for the child?"

I'm guessing there will be no shortage of FReepers who will appoint themselves to the post.

[metmom]

Her stepfather, Jason Strickland, who is charged in her beating and could be tried for murder if she dies, wants to keep the girl alive.

No kidding. What a messed up situation. I agree that the step-father shouldn't have a say; he's got too much to lose to make an objective decision and he did give up his rights when he beat the snot out of her.

I'm absolutely opposed to euthanasia but if there's not brain stem activity and she can't breathe on her own without a ventilator, she's dead and they are just keeping a body alive. I'm all in favor of giving situations like this time because there have been some pretty incredible recoveries and miracles but there has to reach a point where death is declared.

[agere_contra]

I'm guessing there will be no shortage of FReepers who will appoint themselves to the post.

Me for one. I think that "Please don't starve me to death, mister" sounds like a reasonable set of words to put in her mouth.

[cgk]

It says she gave up her 11 year old daughter for adoption 5 years ago - she gave a SIX YEAR OLD LITTLE GIRL up for adoption? What in the world??

[tfecw]

This one reads like a jerry springer episode.

Why did the mother give up the kid for adoption? I'm not sure what "after what Mrs. Avrett said had been several years of strong recommendation by the social services department " this means.

Why was social services involved in the first place. She has 2 other kids so why would Haleigh not be able to live with her mother? WHere's the real dad?

[agere_contra]

Though before we get into a fascimile of Schiavo vs Dr Death again, I note that the girl is apparently on a ventilator. This counts as extraordinary means of life support, whereas feeding does not.

[Hildy]

It's not that unusual...a single woman just can't take care of her child for WHATEVER reason. She believes by giving her up for adoption she'll have a better life. It is the most unselfish thing I can possibly imagine. And now this. How horrible.

[cgk]

Pro-Life/Pro-Baby ping!

Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, this ping list...

[Freedom_no_exceptions]

WHere's the real dad?

She obviously never had a real dad. Or, for that matter, a real mom.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Uh, oh now you're in for it.

[cgk]

I can't make much sense of the article. The mother gave her daughter to her sister to adopt "after pressure from social services" (paraphrasing), but she still has 2 other children. An unselfish act to be sure in many circumstances, but appearances in this story are surely misleading.

[wallcrawlr]

Well, one thing is for sure.

God loves this little girl. I pray she soons find comfort in his arms.

The stepfather should rot in hell...after he is painfully introduced to prison life and the electric chair.

[cgk]

Within two weeks after the couple pleaded not guilty to the beating. Mrs. Strickland was fatally shot in her grandmother's West Springfield apartment. The body of her 71-year-old grandmother, Constance Young, was beside her. The suspected double suicide or murder-suicide is under investigation.

Horrible story all around. Wow. Prayers for this poor girl.