Posted on 01/19/2006 6:53:08 AM PST by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
I might have to grow up, but you had to marry a father figure. Yuk! I never said that I agreed with the Terri Shivo case. In fact, I did not. I think starving a person is not the correct way with dealing with this.
notice nappy didn't RTFA? I am sure Yogi would forgive your boo-boo. (8^D)
Yes, he's very understanding, because he's smarter than average Berra.
The most expesnive piece of equipment in a hospital is the feeding tube.
It is the cost of this that makes them want to pull it so quickly. Otherwise, the doctors wouldn't care a lick.
Perhaps you should advocae universal health coverage paid for by your taxes. I think you might find a great number of doctors beginning to err on the side of life again.
This comes down to dollars and cents. If the technology didn't exist, the girl would already be dead. So calling it messing with God's will is actually what the doctors are doing by keeping her alive.
Are you willing to pay higher taxes for a "culture of life" in the hospitals?.
What do you think is the best method of exterminating useless eaters?
If you weigh over ten pounds be gone with you...LOL. Actually don't know what you meant by that.
How far do you want to roll back technology in medicine? Feeding tubes have been around for a long time. They started out rather primitive, and have improved over time. Should we roll back medicine to a point before feeding tubes were invented, or just use earlier versions?
You stated that you didn't think starvation and dehydration was the right way to exterminate useless eaters. I'm just curious what you think is the best method.
Like it is done all over the country. Pull the plug. I think that is the way it is done even as we speak.
What plug?
I didn't actually advocate anything of the sort. I was just pointing out that this debate is in large part about money, even though it is not mentioned.
Are you willing to pay higher taxes to keep people in this situation alive? That is the key question. You can't have a culture of life without being willing to pay for it. So are you?
If you ask my opinion I will tell you, but not until you give me yours.
They did! The child had the effrontery to breathe on her own! Imagine that! If she sits up and eats, what is next, forcible exsanguination?
I'm willing to continue paying taxes so that the death cult doesn't implement a program of killing disabled people. We already pay taxes for that. I don't want anyone killed to lower my taxes, or to divert my taxes to some other program.
OMG! That would make him old enough to breed.
If you started at 13 years old going out with your husband. That is scary. Why did you let yourself into that position or should I say why did he? Did you not know he was 26 or 27? Just curious. I am sure your parents were so proud...Yieks.
Your smarts astound me. If I was 13 than I would not be Generation X would I? God, are you at least a high school GED carrier? maybe not, since you had to get married at 13 years old. What morals do you have?
Um, OK little one. Now I am typing verrry slowly so that you can understand. I did not go out with him when I was l3. I went out with him when I was 21. Got it? Maybe when you grow up someday you will understand.
PS, isn't it past your wee little bedtime?? Your brave talk about killing infirm people must be making you tired. Nighty night.
DSS received numerous complaints that the little girl was being abused, but never concluded that her home was unsafe.
Then the girl gets beaten half to death.
Then DSS wants to remove life support.
This turns my stomach.
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