Posted on 07/23/2008 3:59:33 PM PDT by wagglebee
Fresno, CA (LifeNews.com) -- A California court is scheduled to hold a hearing today in a case of a disabled woman like Terri Schiavo who has been deprived of food and water for nine days. Janet Rivera lost her right to food and water on July 14 when a court-appointed guardian removed her feeding tube despite her family's wishes.
Rivera, 46, had a heart attack on February 2006 and she never regained consciousness. She has been on life support for two years
Jesus Rivera, her husband, had been his wife's conservator until June 17, when he was replaced for unknown reasons by David Hadden, the Fresno County coroner.
Jesus, according to a Fresno Bee report, wants to allow his wife to continue to receive food and water and has wants "her body to give out when it gives out between her and almighty God and no one else."
"You can't starve someone to death," he said.
Doctors disagreed and, after consulting them, Hadden decided to remove Janet Rivera's feeding tube.
According to the newspaper, Hadden's office released a statement saying he made the decision after "immense consideration" and due to Rivera's "untreatable and irreversible condition and to prevent any and all suffering that she may be enduring."
"If this were a family member of mine, I would want the decision made by the group of physicians who are taking care of this patient," he added.
In a hearing today at Fresno County Probate Court, the family will request a restraining order to allow Janet food and water until a full hearing can take place.
Rivera's family has contacted two pro-life law firms, the Alliance Defense Fund and the Life Legal Defense Fund to help them with the case and Brian Chavez-Ochoa, a Valley Springs attorney, is helping the family at no cost.
Chavez-Ochoa was an advisor in the Terri Schiavo case.
Rivera is currently admitted at the DeWitt Community Subacute Center in Fresno.
Well, since he had already started a family with another woman, it was absurd for greerghoul to make Michael the guardian for a woman preventing Michael from being ‘free’ to marry Jodi, the mother of at least one child for him.
You need to understand that food and water are not “life support” any more than oxygen is.
I hate journalistic writing like this.
But...Even still, after 2 years, it appears the woman is stabile even if she is on an respirator.
I have not been paying that close attention, but IIRC when the ventilator was turned off this lady was breathing on her own. They pulled the feeding tube out anyway.
As of tonight, a judge has ordered the reinstatement of the feeding tube and all appropriate medical care.
Although I am tired....I will wade in here.
I am a seasoned "health care professional"...so I have some "blood, sweat, and tears" in this "fight".
That being said......and in my IMVHO...the operative word is "life".
Not going to get into what I've "seen" and what I've "watched", nor what is, IMO "life" and what isn't....
Regards-
“This case is a lot scarier than the Terri Schiavo case”
Yes...you’re definitely right about that.
No one is even trying to pretend this is what the woman wanted.
No one in the family is claiming this is what she wanted.
Very scary indeed - a coronor can step in and do this to a family.
“When the family disagrees, I favor erroring on the side of life. “
If only more people would exhibit such a common sense approach.
“That may not be the perfect solution, but it is better than allowing either doctors or the government to make the decision...and, much as we all hate it, many of us have or will have to make that difficult decision at some point in our lives.”
Hopefully more people are inspired to discuss these issues with their loved ones after reading about sad cases like this.
It appears the term “terminally ill” is a fluid term - one that keeps getting tinkered with.
When it comes to brain injury is when it truly gets scary.
We really know very little about PVS, and the latest studies show more activity than previously suspected.
So people really need to closely study what constitutes “terminal”?
What constitutes “life support”?
Do you really really want to be dehydrated? Really?
Think about that one extra hard.
“The husband should have been declared incompetent and not working in the interest of Terri so that the family would be given custody.”
One of Terri’s court appointed guardians did point out Michael’s obvious conflict of interest and how it hurt his ability to truly act on her behalf as guardian.
His advice was ignored by the judge who appointed him.
A second court appointed guardian requested swallowing tests.
Same judge ignored this guardian as well - relieved him of duty - and thereafter the legally blind judge acted as Terri’s “guardian”.
After awhile, you get the funny feeling there’s something wrong with a judge who won’t listen to his own appointees - who won’t even listen to the US Congress.
“As much as we dont like this guy, maybe the evidence wasnt good enough to take away custody.”
If a common-law wife, a couple of kids, and an ever dwindling fund set aside for rehabilitative care (getting blown on right-to-die experts and lawyers) - aren’t considered evidence enough to remove custody - then what is?
It isn’t as if any of those well established facts were in question.
“Well, its just Im used to dealing with Liberals in Austin that think we should keep uninsured, poor people that are in Schiavos situation on life support as long as the family wants.”
It’s important to remember we cannot lump all these cases into one group as if they are identical.
One problem I saw with media coverage, and with many discussions about Terri, was that there is a vast misunderstanding about brain death, coma, pvs, minimal consciousness, etc....
How many news articles do you remember reading (and I will still see them every now and then) where Terri was described as “brain dead”.
If she really had been declared “brain dead” by doctors - she would have been on a respirator, which would have been removed upon declaration of death. We never would have heard her name.
When someone is truly brain dead - the doctors’ have the legal right at that point to remove the ventilator.
They may be compassionate with the family and allow them time with their loved one - but really they can disconnect no matter what the family says.
Of course, Terri wasn’t on a ventilator - she wasn’t brain dead.
So what I suggest is for you to ponder what justifies removal of food and water?
Cost of care?
Insurance coverage?
Or will you base it on brain function?
Are you sure you know everything there is to know about brain injury victims?
Because, from what I can tell after reading up on the matter is that there is still debate going on among the experts who spend their lives studying the brain.
If they aren’t sure - how can you be so sure?
8mm
"We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will give you no rest."
I notice the Texan is gone...
Good points!
Funny how that happens.
I’m pretty sure this post was a contributing factor. The savage showed what a true savage he is by suggesting that Big Murder lowers the poverty rate by murdering so many black babies.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2050223/posts?page=2#2
Bump to that!
They aren’t even trying to hide it anymore. It is clear that there is a culture of death that is using the State as its main tool.
August 28, 2003 is my five year anniversary fighting the liberal culture of death who’s trying to make this nation a secular utopia - perfect people only...
Maybe it would be a bad idea to tell Jesus no on life and death issue.
Ensure cost $8.00 a day for Terri’s feeding tube. Texans from the futile care state may be lobbyists for the futile care law as signed by former Gov. Bush. There’s a fight to change that law... maybe some Texans like it the way it is who are from insurance, from medicaid/medicare, you know CORPORATIONS. More premiums less payouts. Beware of Texans who may be here to prop up the Futile Care act.
Wrong. There are euthanasia killers with major money who have the kind of power to influence judges, the govt, the president, the medical community and they are partners with the organ harvesting business (the organs are free but the transplants are not).
Gov. Crist of Florida is a secularist who helped kill Terri Schiavo. If McCain picks Crist for VP, I won't be voting for McCain. Crist reminds me very much of Barack Obama.
The Muslim women are uvulating (noise) for BHO ther in Germany now. They know what's really going on. The joke's on us.
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