A judge approved on Thursday the decision of a Texas hospital to withdraw an 11-month-old girl from the life support that has kept her alive since her premature birth, contrary to the mother's criteria.
The woman, Trinity Lewis, had asked the judge, Sandee Bryan Marion, to issue an order in the district court of Tarrant County to ensure that the Cook Children Medical Center in Fort Worth did not withdraw support treatment vital to which his daughter Tinslee is connected.
The doctors believe that the child suffers pain and that her condition will never improve, and on November 10 they decided to withdraw the clinical support that keeps her alive.
https://twitter.com/RobbyMontoya/status/1212816924620546050
The law stipulates that, if the hospital's ethics committee agrees with the doctors' decision, this type of treatment can be withdrawn after 10 days, unless a new medical center appears that welcomes the patient.
According to the Associated Press news agency, hospital officials say they have contacted more than 20 centers in search of one that would like to enter the girl, but all agreed that administering more medical care would be useless.
The Texas Right to Life anti-abortion group, opposed to the 10-day Texas law, has said the girl's mother is devastated, but will appeal the judge's decision. In parallel, they also try to find a new facility to move to the smaller one.
"I feel frustrated because anyone in that courtroom would want more time just like me if Tinslee were her baby," Trinity Lewis herself said in a statement issued by Texas Right to Life.
Tinslee has remained at Cook Children's since its premature birth. Medical center sources reported that the girl has a rare heart disorder, and suffers from chronic lung disease and severe chronic high blood pressure.
Since she suffered a respiratory arrest in early July, the child has not left artificial ventilation and requires complete respiratory and cardiac support, deep sedation and being medically paralyzed.
All the specialists who have treated her consider that Tinslee is suffering.
However, in December the mother testified at an audience that, despite sedation, her daughter shows likes and dislikes. According to Trinity Lewis, Tinslee enjoys the lively musical Trolls and cries when she finishes or when she brushes her hair.
“I want to be the one to make the decision for her,” said the mother about the plan to disconnect the girl.
At that same hearing, Dr. Jay Duncan described the health center's efforts to take care of Tinslee's life, including seven surgeries. It was also learned that during their first five months, the medical team hoped that the child could at least one day return home.
But there was a time when doctors had no real, surgical and clinical options, so the treatment no longer really benefited the patient.
Duncan said the girl would probably die in about six months, and recalled that the hospital had made "extraordinary" efforts to find another facility to accommodate her.
"She is suffering," he said. Changing her diaper causes her pain. Sucking your breathing tube causes pain. Being on the fan causes him pain. ”
"We care a lot about Tinslee," said the doctor after recalling that they had many conversations with his mother and the rest of his relatives, "we care a lot about his family."
Last November, a judge of the Juvenile Court of Tarrant County issued a temporary restraining order that stopped the withdrawal of life support. But this magistrate was removed from the case after the hospital filed a motion that cast doubt on his impartiality, and on the grounds that he had ignored the rules for assigning cases to appoint himself in charge.
Judge Sandee Bryan Marion, president of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Texas, then personally dealt with the case.
Now the mother of the child has seven days to file a notice of appeal and an emergency relief motion before the state court of appeals.