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The Wisconsin Right to Life organization weighed in Wednesday on a court case that seeks to end life-sustaining treatment for a La Crosse woman who must be kept sedated to keep her on a feeding tube.
Terry Davis, a Sparta, Wis., attorney representing the organization with Richard Esenberg of Milwaukee, filed court documents Wednesday calling for the case to be dismissed.
The documents state that since the woman is not in a persistent vegetative state, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled a guardian cannot withdraw life-sustaining treatment without an advance directive or other statement clearly expressing the patient’s wishes.
The woman, in her 50s, did not leave an advance directive. She developed violent dementia after several strokes, and has refused food and removed her feeding tube in the past.
The only way to maintain the feeding tube is to keep her sedated at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center.
Robyn Shapiro, attorney for the woman’s guardian and family, argued at a La Crosse County court hearing Tuesday the woman’s condition is “functionally equivalent” to persistent vegetative state and she has medical testimony supporting her position.
La Crosse County Circuit Judge Scott Horne said then he was skeptical of Shapiro’s argument but added that Shapiro’s amended petition mentioned the woman had commented she didn’t want to live like Terri Schiavo, which could indicate her wishes.
Schiavo was a 41-year-old brain-damaged Florida woman who became the centerpiece of a national right-to-die battle. She died in March 2005 two weeks after her feeding tube was removed.
In the court documents filed Wednesday, Davis argued Shapiro’s petition only was filed to set up a test case for appeal to the state Supreme Court. It claims Shapiro is a well-known advocate for expanding the circumstances under which medical treatment can be withdrawn.
Expanding those circumstances creates “intractable ethical issues and has far-reaching implications for the way in which treatment will be provided and diagnoses will be made,” the Wisconsin Right to Life court documents contend......................
Woman's case draws Right to Life action
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Terri Schiavo, who died in 2005 after being taken off water and food at her husband's request, received electrode implants but they were not successful, according to The Inquirer. Some experts believe the electrodes were placed too early after her collapse to be helpful to Terri Schiavo.
Electrode implants show success in brain repair
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