Comatose Mass. Girl Responds to Stimuli (Haleigh Poutre)

AP ^ | 01/19/2005 | Adam Gorlick

[ItsOurTimeNow]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- Doctors say new tests are needed on a severely beaten 11-year-old girl, who officials said was responding to medical stimuli and breathing on her own a day after Massachusetts' highest court ruled the state had the authority to remove her from life support.

Denise Monteiro, a spokeswoman for the state's Department of Social Services, which has custody of Haleigh Poutre, said doctors will perform more tests "to see what the movements mean."

She would not say how Haleigh was responding or to what tests. The girl has been in a coma for four months and thought to be in an irreversible vegetative state.

"There's a possible change in her condition," Monteiro said Wednesday. "She's having some responses."

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Haleigh's stepfather, Jason Strickland, is charged with beating the girl and could face a murder charge if she dies. He has fought to keep her on life support but lost his appeal Tuesday in the Supreme Judicial Court, Massachusetts' highest court.

The court ruled that the social services department had the authority to remove the ventilator and feeding tube after doctors said the girl was in an irreversible vegetative state.

On Wednesday afternoon, however, doctors told the social services agency that Haleigh's condition had changed, Monteiro told the Boston Globe in its Thursday editions. She said Haleigh was breathing on her own and the agency had no immediate plans to remove her feeding tube.

[napscoordinator]

I don't know why your having a hard time with this. Are you scared or what? All I did was put a conservative proposal on the table and you went and hid under your bed. What is wrong with your discussing something like this. I am in Generation X and realize that something needs to be done and I just made a suggestion on how to keep government spending down. If you cannot look at this in a reasonable way than why are you on a conservative website? Are you just a social conservative? If that is the case fine, but I am fiscal and socail conservative? There are people who care about government spending. Why this can't be a we don't agree situation is beyond me. You have to scream bloody murder for nothing.

[Wampus SC]

Just don't rip into that Boris with your teeth. :) I'm not worried about our current Boris. He's just a talking points bot. Just one point, actually - "lets kill vast numbers of fellow Americans so someone can make money off it". I wonder if killing all those people is so important to him and his ilk that they're willing to risk all for it. If he's a true believer, the day that some HMO beancounter tells him, "I'd make more profit if you were dead", he'll immediately turn himself in at the nearest euthanasia center. They serve red, white and blue Kool-Aid there. I just *know* he'll do that. :)

Someday I'll have to relate the history of the Pottsylvanian Takeover. (Basically it involved switching from International Socialism to National Socialism with really good PR...)

[BykrBayb]

Maybe it would help if you used graphics to promote your position.

"This person suffering from hereditary
defects costs the people 60,000
Reichmarks during his lifetime. People,
that is your money. Read 'New People'."

[Wampus SC]

"I don't know why your having a hard time with this. Are you scared or what? All I did was put a conservative proposal on the table and you went and hid under your bed. What is wrong with your discussing something like this. I am in Generation X and realize that something needs to be done and I just made a suggestion on how to keep government spending down. If you cannot look at this in a reasonable way than why are you on a conservative website? Are you just a social conservative? If that is the case fine, but I am fiscal and socail conservative? There are people who care about government spending. Why this can't be a we don't agree situation is beyond me. You have to scream bloody murder for nothing."

d00d! You've can't tell the difference between anger and fear! Yeah, you've laid your proposal on the table, and several people have told you what's wrong with it. Why are you acting like that's unexpected? And then? Well, I see all you have is repetition of what you've said before - just like you've done when anyone says anything to you. All you've got is the talking points you've been given.

But since you're so into endless repetition -- maybe it'll take this time. :) Your proposal - kill the boomers for profit - isn't going to go well with your intended targets. State a plan to kill a bunch of people, and it's a threat on their lives. Any action they might take in response is self defense. Hope you and your kind believe in killing off boomers so strongly that you're willing to risk the backlash that would result from your proposal. Good luck. Your kind will need it. Remember those Nam vets, all boomers? They've seen, done and learned stuff you softies can't conceive of. And don't forget those boomers have families full of young, fit people your kind will face if you try this proposal. 'nuff said.

You call it conservatism? Let's talk conservatism. Killing of vast parts of your citizenry for profit (aka genocide) has NEVER been part of true conservatism. It has, however been the main feature of National Socialism in its various guises. (Look up the term if you need to.) Perhaps you'd get a better welcome on one of those kind of websites.

Now begone! Don't ruin the name of true conservatism by tying it to your genocidal ideas.

[BykrBayb]

Has napscoordinator convinced you yet? Are you still insisting that it's wrong to murder people to save a few tax dollars? Don't you believe that murder for money is a Conservative value? Look at post #63. If that doesn't convince you, nothing will.

[Wampus SC]

Yep, the spiritual predecessor of Nappy Boris's "conservative" "proposal".

And here's the future, should those like nappy get what they want.

[Wampus SC]

Nope. Guess nothing will convince me that murder for money is a conservative value. Perhaps I need to be sent to the reeducation camp....

[BykrBayb]

I could sign you up for class at Princeton. I hear they have a wonderful eugenics professor by the name of Peter Singer. He can explain to you how ethical it is to dismember babies, and torture disabled and elderly people to death.

But before you earn your degree there, you need to go to some George Felos de se seminars. He can explain how euphoric it is to be starved and dehydrated to death.

[Smokin' Joe]

Your taxes are going to go up skyhigh with you non conservative morals.

"As you do for the least of these, so you have done for me."

What is a few dollars I would have probably pissed away weighed against the life of a child?

What moral is more conservative than the sanctity of life, even if life is inconvenient or expensive?

Your thoughts will come back to haunt you, some day.

[napscoordinator]

I believe everyone is misunderstanding my point. I do not want to take everyone out to smokehouse and kill them. No way. How could you even get that with my posts especially since my parents are boomers. What I mean is that when it gets to the point that their is no way for survival and people are wanting to keep the person on all those tubes for sentalmental reasons that is the only time I am talking about. Please don't distort my standing like you are writing for the MSM. That goes for all of you liberals out there. FREEPERS was always so conservative, but this posting has made me realize that their are many trolls on here.

[Wampus SC]

"Your thoughts will come back to haunt you, some day."

And you know what's gonna be funny? When nappy starts floundering around trying to call back the words he's said here, and finds it's too late. I figure this'll happen in about, oh, 3 seconds....

[Wampus SC]

Will the good professor also explain how it's *immoral* for a boomer to live if his/her life isn't "normal". Maybe he'll be a better teacher than Boris....

Oooooooo-weeeeeeee! Felosian Euphoria sounds yummy! Can't wait!

[Wampus SC]

"I figure this'll happen in about, oh, 3 seconds...."

Or sooner. LOL!

[Smokin' Joe]

I will gladly weigh my conservative credentials against yours nOOb, any time.

No way for survival? Why don't you wait and see? What is the rush to starve to death someone who is showing signs of improvement?

Should we do away with ICUs, figuring that anyone hurt that bad can't recover?

What about ventilators for people with pneumonia? They can't even breathe on their own.

After all, all that stuff is expensive.

What I got from your posts is that it is all about the money. Hang the fact that the child might be a material witness to attempted murder (her own), and maybe some of those who would pin that on the accused have a motive for wanting the girl dead.

I quote you : Food and water would be fine, but we are talking an exteme amount of money to keep them alive. I am pro-life as far as abortion, but Euthanasia is a totally different thing. Do you realize how expensive this could be when the Baby Boomer start demanding to stay alive with no chance of a normal life. It shutters me to think that this would destroy the economy.

Just who do you think built the d@mned economy in the first place? The same people (baby boomers)who are shelling out good money for extended care policies at their insurers today.

That child is no 'baby boomer', just a kid who got the crap beaten out of her, apparently on a regular basis.

Do you think she deserved that? She is not some stray puppy to be kicked and put down.

As for liberal, no, the liberals would kill her in a heartbeat, because they have no compunction about slaughtering innocent children before, during, or, in this case, after birth, and money has always been one of the first excuses they use to deprive people of fundamental rights.

Maybe you should reexamine what you think.

[Smokin' Joe]

Jeeez, you are prescient! (8^D)

[napscoordinator]

First of all, I was generalizing. I did not know it was a little girl on a ventilator. I was just ONLY speaking of future medical costs for people who have absolutely no chance of becoming alive again...ever. I am not talking ICU's or anything like that and I should have been more precise with my answers on what I was talking about. I don't believe that I was talking about a person who went in for surgery and something went wrong and needs additional care. Nothing like that at all. Only folks who ABSOLUTELY have no chance of survival. I hope everyone didn't think I was talking about some crazy idea of ok 80 and out sorta thing. No way. I hope my parents live until 100 plus...

[Wampus SC]

As Yogi Berra says, "you can learn a lot by observing." :)

[BykrBayb]

I believe everyone is misunderstanding my point.

I don't think so.

I do not want to take everyone out to smokehouse and kill them. No way.

I kinda figured you make some exceptions.

How could you even get that with my posts especially since my parents are boomers.

What does you being the heir of boomers have to do with anything? The fact that Michael Schiavo said it felt good to starve and dehydrate his parents to death is no reflection on you. When you talked about wanting to off the boomers, I didn't think you were talking about your parents. I figured they were among the exceptions you'd make. But who knows. Maybe you're more like Michael than I thought.

What I mean is that when it gets to the point that their is no way for survival and people are wanting to keep the person on all those tubes for sentalmental reasons that is the only time I am talking about.

So you only want to eliminate Lebensunwertes Leben? You were not talking about allowing a dying person to die. You were talking about murdering a little girl because you didn't want tax money being spent on her care and feeding. Your ethics are very familiar.

Please don't distort my standing like you are writing for the MSM. That goes for all of you liberals out there. FREEPERS was always so conservative, but this posting has made me realize that their are many trolls on here.

You seem to be very confused about the meanings of Conservative, Freeper, trolls, and life. May I suggest you read what our Founder has to say on the subject?

[Reddy]

I'm not a troll but I feel sorry for your parents. Not only are you a poor speller, you will off your parents the first chance you get.

And I can guarantee you that being a Freeper does not mean standing for what you are proposing.

My husband just turned 60, and I am also a boomer at 46. Thankfully, I'll be around long enough to make sure people like you don't hasten his death.

PS, grow up.

[Wampus SC]

Arg. Shoulda been, "you can see a lot by observing".

My deepest apologies to Yogi the Great.