Posted on 07/19/2006 7:53:58 PM PDT by catholicfreeper
NEW ORLEANS, United States (AFP) - US investigators have charged a doctor and two nurses with murder in the deaths of four patients in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, officials said.
"We're talking about people that pretended maybe they were God and they made that decision," Louisiana attorney general Charles Foti said at a press conference in the state capitol of Baton Rouge.
"This is not euthanasia. This is a homicide."
The affidavit charged that the three gave lethal doses of morphine and another drug to patients at Memorial Medical Center who were deemed too sick to be evacuated three days after the hurricane devastated New Orleans on August 29.
Two of the victims were in their 90s and two were in their 60s, including a 380-pound man who was described as "alert" but paralyzed.
Doctor Anna Pou, 50, and nurses Cheri Landry, 49, and Lori Budo, 43, were charged with four counts of second-degree murder. They were released on bail to await formal arraignment.
The charges followed an investigation launched after rumors circulated that medical staff had euthanized patients whom they thought would not survive the harsh conditions that followed Katrina, including lack of food, drinking water and air conditioning.
The attorney general's office investigated 13 nursing homes and five hospitals throughout the region but found credible evidence of mercy killings at only one.
Four hospital administrators at Memorial Medical Center heard of plans to give patients lethal doses, although none of the key witnesses said they knew who made the decision, the affidavit said.
During a meeting about the evacuation plan, one hospital administrator who has not been charged told employees they did not expect to evacuate nine critically ill patients.
She also said the plan was they "were not going to leave any living patients behind."
Pou later told a hospital worker that many of the patients on the seventh floor "were probably not going to survive" and that "a decision had been made to administer lethal doses," the affidavit said.
At least one patient was "aware, conscious and alert, but he weighed 380 pounds and was paralyzed. Dr Pou decided that (he) could not be evacuated... and that they didn't have a lot of time and that she needed to clear the floors as soon as they could," the affidavit said.
Court documents show that the killings were not done in secret.
Budo was observed giving an injection to a 92-year-old man who said, "That burns," as she administered a lethal dose of morphine.
The attorney general said that more charges could be laid in the case, and that more victims might be found among the 45 bodies recovered from the hospital -- 11 of which were already in the morgue when the storm hit.
He also said he believed the patients "would have lived through it" if Pou and the nurses had not taken "the law into their own hands."
But Pou's lawyer said the attorney general was more interested in staging a "media event" for political gain than in pursing justice.
"It's a year later and the blame game is now shifting to a doctor and two nurses and maybe others," Rick Simmons said at a press conference in New Orleans.
"They're victims of the storm not victims of homicide... There's no criminal misconduct."
Simmons said Pou - who was arrested in her hospital scrubs - would plead not guilty to the charges.
Most of New Orleans was flooded by Hurricane Katrina, which killed as many as 1,500 people across the Gulf Coast. Much of the city was without power, water or transportation.
Emergency generators in the city's hospitals quickly ran out of fuel and hospital staff used flashlights to tend to patients in the sweltering heat and stench of backed-up sewage.
Outside, the city descended into chaos and evacuations were stymied by reports of snipers shooting at medical helicopters.
The decision to impose murder charges does not sufficiently address the issue of motive and the complex ethical questions underlying the situation, University of New Orleans criminologist Peter Scharf told AFP.
"This is a case that involves a clash possibly between moral duty and legal duty," he said.
"The issue that escapes discussion in the action of the attorney general is ... what are your duties in that kind of situation? Were these acts of conscience or acts of crime?"
What wonderful, thoughtful souls. A BIG dose of love in every injecton
The timing is suspicious.
:o)
YOU'RE INSANE...
This is my thought. I think they had no idea what was going on. I mean communication had pretty much been wiped out in SouthEast louisiana. I guess they were getting news from perhaps battery operated radios maybe.
The thing that concerns me about this case is that these "rumors" were sarting to be heard immediatly. I do not recall for instance similar rumors like this coming from the Tulane Medical center or Charity that also was in crisis mode. I don't know what happen here but I think something did. I think it was the rumor mill there were wild stories about gangs and gangs surrounding the Childrens hospital and all sorts of nonsense.
I am not saying that these people if they did this should go to jail for years. But If this happened I not so sure we shouyld all go oh well I wasn't in there situation. ANother crisis could occur like this again somewhere in the US
I do see perhaps a valid defense to the timing. After the hurricane the investigating forces were in shambles plus many at that hospital probally went to all areas of the Country after this incident so interviewing might have been tough
You get 8 strong guys to pick him up and take him down the stairs. It takes time, but you take the time to do it. Either that or you leave a volunteer there with him, until you can get equipment in to get him out.
You don't kill him, even if you fear that things are going to go badly.
It's not a matter of trusting the government to come in and save him. You don't kill someone, simply because you can't see the future and the future looks grim.
I understand that it was a difficult situation. And nobody was prepared for the scope of Katrina. And they should take that into consideration in sentencing. But you still don't take it on your self to play God and kill someone.
I'll go read your other post now.
Did they bother to ask these people whether they wanted to be murdered?
Nothing new here. Every year a few medical practioners are convicted of murdering patients for any number of "reasons". If you add the all to common arrogance of Doctors and nurses with the twisted belief that they are the sole arbiters of "quality of life" you're bound to have a few homicidal nuts carrying out their "good work".
Being that some were on life support and in comas..I doubt it...however, you bring up a good point...wonder if they asked them if they'd rather drown, die of starvation, suffocate (since the electricity was out) or simply...go to sleep.
I don' t think so
NOBODY WAS GOING TO DROWN. THEY WERE ON THE 7TH FLOOR, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. NOBODY WAS GOING TO STARVE IN 3 DAYS.
It's not inappropriate to judge them, despite the situation they were in. That they believed they were doing the humane thing, does not make their choice any less wrong.
You have to stop this from becoming a precedent. And you do it by prosecuting the people who euthanized these patients. You can leniently sentence them, given the situation, but you need to prosecute in order to prevent others from making this choice. There should be noone in the medical field who belives that mercy killing is their perogative. Pain control yes, but euthanasia no.
Yep, spot on. I don't think I could push a lethal does, but I'm glad I wasn't in their shoes.
This case is so different than any other euthanasia case, and therefore should not be compared as some posters are doing. The situation was so unusual...and it is a situation no human being should ever have to be involved in. But they were...and decisions had to be made...like in war. But to paint these health care workers as criminals is despicable.
No Id didnt even get close. In fact I think the fear was that there were gangs and stuff. I doubtr it even flooded the first floor . I think it might have got 6 foot thats all
I agree with that. If this is true even a manslaughter convixtion would be enough. You cannot allow this to set a precedent especially with the all the baby boomers getting over 65. This is going to be the major pro life battle front for decades
I think it would have been impossible for water to get to the 7th floor even if every levee broke in New Orleans.
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