Foreigner Saved from Being Starved and Dehydrated to Death in American Hospital

LifeSiteNews ^ | 5/23/08 | Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

[wagglebee]

FORT WORTH, TEXAS, May 22, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Peruvian man whose American doctors reportedly sought to starve and dehydrate him to death was spared Wednesday after the family alerted the Peruvian media and a pro-life Texas attorney intervened in the case.

According to Peruvian media reports, Jesus Sanchez, 56, had been in a coma for over five months in John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, after suffering a heart attack after a soccer game. 

After the hospital's board of ethics reviewed his case, his condition was pronounced "irreversible".  The hospital announced that it would deprive Sanchez of food and fluids until he died, reported the Peruvian publication El Comercio.  His starvation and dehydration would begin within ten days if a transfer could not be arranged to another hospital.

However, according to Lucio Portilla of the Peruvian National Institute of Neurological Sciences, Sanchez was regaining consciousness, and was blinking and swallowing.  He told Radio Programs of Peru (RPP) that his hospital was "100%" certain of its willingness to receive Sanchez and care for him.

Although Sanchez and his two children were living in the United States legally, Sanchez had no access to Medicare, and his children had no way to pay for a medical evacuation to Peru, which could cost anywhere from $50,000 to $80,000.

"Since my father became ill I have had to work at night and abandon my pre-university studies.  My sister also works in a clothing factory.  Despite the effort we don't have the ability to save the $50,000 to rent an air ambulance to return my father to Peru," Jesus Sanchez told El Comercio.

After Sanchez´ wife and children made a desperate appeal through the Peruvian media only two days before the deadline for his removal, Peruvians responded generously and the family was surprised to receive $10,000 in a very short period of time.  It was not sufficient for the flight, however.

Family members contacted Texas Right to Life which referred them to pro-life attorney Bill Collins, who began negotiations with the hospital's attorney.  Two Catholic organizations and one Protestant organization also intervened in the case, according to media reports.

After heavy negative coverage in the Peruvian media, protests from Peruvians living in Texas, and the intervention of Collins and other Texas pro-lifers, John Peter Smith Hospital agreed to pay for the flight, which reportedly cost $80,000.

Adam Black, Political Director of Texas Right to Life told LifeSiteNews.com that the State of Texas is one of only two in the United States with a "10 day law" allowing patients to be euthanized through dehydration or starvation within ten days of notifying family members of their intention to do so.  If no transfer can be made to another hospital, the patient will die.

Black said that two patients have died under the terms of the law.  He also said that he is aware of several cases of patients who were transferred in time and survived despite their diagnoses, and are now living normal lives.

Family members told El Comercio that they thought that the real reason the hospital wanted to euthanize Sanchez was the price of his medical care, which was estimated at $3,000 a day.  Although Sanchez is a legal resident of the United States, his medical expenses are not covered by Medicaid.

"Here, there is no heart" one American attorney commented to RPP. "The problem is the cost."

For more information about the Texas "10 Day" law:

Texas Right to Life
http://www.texasrighttolife.com

[AuntB]

Oops...I did.

Didn’t read enough. I appologize.

[Dog Gone]

So who’s going to pay for his $450,000 in medical costs while he was here?

[Vigilanteman]

. . . one of only two in the United States with a "10 day law" allowing patients to be euthanized through dehydration or starvation within ten days of notifying family members of their intention to do so.

Why can't we have a 10 day law for convicted murderers on death row?

[AuntB]

I don’t get it, if he’s here legally he can get medicare. The illegals get medicare. I don’t like this article and the title stinks. Why didn’t they take him back to Peru if they were so concerned about him?

There’s just nothing good with our immigration system. It’s overwhelmed and just not working anymore.

“A Day in the Life of USCIS”- (Is this any way to protect our nation?)

by Mike Cutler, former INS agent

http://uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/DayinLife_050629.pdf (click here to see orignial document)

Some of the DAILY work of USIS according to their own document:

* Conduct 135,000 national security background checks

* process 30,000 applications for immigrant benefits

* Issue 7,000 permanent resident cards (green cards -PER DAY)(This is what McCain wants to increase....5 days per week x 7,000 x 52 weeks= 1,820,000 PER YEAR)

* Welcome 2100 new citizens.

* Welcome 3500 new permanent residents.(more of what McCain would increase....3500x5x52weeks=910,00 PER YEAR)

[BykrBayb]

Are you sure you know what you're asking for?

[fetal heart beats by 21st day]

“I think an “old vet” is definitely worth being concerned about. We don’t have to choose between the old vet and the young vet. Everybody should get the care that is appropriate for them; perhaps more heroic measures are in order for a strong young guy badly wounded in battle than for an older, frailer person who probably wouldn’t even survive the heroic measures. But food and water are appropriate for everyone”

Amen.

[fetal heart beats by 21st day]

This is good to know. Thanks for telling us.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Why can't we have a 10 day law for convicted murderers on death row?

And then just let them starve in their cells.

This country is hopelessly F'd and that is why we are going down.

[JRandomFreeper]

This life... I'm not going to make it out alive. My kids know that. They have promised not to leave me to the catz, if they catch it in time...

We all gotta go sometime, somehow.

/johnny

[BykrBayb]

This life... I'm not going to make it out alive.

I remember Hank Williams saying something to that effect. I don't see how that makes starvation and dehydration look appealing.

We all gotta go sometime, somehow.

I'll settle for God's time and method. I'm not going to insist on being tortured to death before my time. YMMV

[8mmMauser]

Pinged from Terri Dailies

8mm

[8mmMauser]

They are likely to be the same who would condemn Lauren Richardson to death by slow agonizing dehydration simply because she had taken drugs. Yet, their sympathies abound for serial killers and the cruel and unusual way of bumping off the truly evil ones with just an injection.

[8mmMauser]

I don’t know how long it took for poor Lisa MacPherson to shrivel up and die. It took Terri thirteen days without a drop of water on her lips to suffer through this agony. It sure is a fate avoided by suicide enthusiasts and those who tried it quickly abandoned it as a humane method. Yet, that is how innocent people are killed, in a most barbaric way.

I have no problems with letting go when the time comes, but nobody will convince me I should suffer that torture not allowed for the most evil of serial killers or the meanest of pets. But that is what they do, and the get away with it because many are convinced it is a natural process. The lie works.

[tuffydoodle]

John Peter Smith Hospital is the county hospital in Fort Worth, they are going to try to save money at any cost. I don’t recommend the place.

[wagglebee]

I hope my children won't wait 10 days.

Well, we're all dying anyway. If you feel that food and water would be such a burden to your family, why wait?

[wagglebee]

A feeding tube is about $100 per day.

[Dog Gone]

That’s fine. The story says that it was costing about $3,000 a day and I doubt he had 300 feeding tubes.

[wagglebee]

I assume that this is basically the cost of hospitalization (probably ICU). I have done a lot of research on the cost of feeding tubes and it comes to about $100 per day and can be a lot less if family members are able to do some of the basic medical work.

[Dog Gone]

I’m all in favor of family doing much of the effort especially when there is no insurance. A lot of hospitalization is because family isn’t available or is unwilling.