Category Archives: futility

Texas Mother Fights To Save Her 9-Month-Old Baby From Hospital’s Futility Judgment

futile care, futility, involuntary euthanasia, life-sustaining treatment, Our News & Commentary Blog, texas, Tinslee Lewis,

Nine month old Tinslee Lewis was scheduled to die today (11/11/19), based on a Fort Worth hospital’s decision to remove her ventilator under the Texas futility law. The nation’s most infamous futility law provides for ten days notice and you’re dead — unless another willing medical provider takes over. From news video, it does not … Continue reading Texas Mother Fights To Save Her 9-Month-Old Baby From Hospital’s Futility Judgment →

Update: Minnesota Hospital Agrees to Continue Oxygen for Catie

futile care, futility, Health care decision-making, life-sustaining treatment, Minnesota, Our News & Commentary Blog, treatment withdrawal, , ,

Good news! Following intervention by attorneys, the Minnesota hospital that we previously reported had planned to stop providing oxygen to a woman with lung cancer decided to follow her wishes to continue treatment. This goes to show, as so many people with disabilities have experienced, that when there’s a power imbalance operating against you, get legal/advocate … Continue reading Update: Minnesota Hospital Agrees to Continue Oxygen for Catie →

What Can We Do When A Hospital Plans To Involuntarily Withdraw Life Support?

euthanasia, futility, Health care decision-making, life-sustaining treatment, Our News & Commentary Blog, passive euthanasia, treatment withdrawal, , ,

Friday night, I got a phone call from a woman who said that a Minnesota hospital had stated its plan for Monday at 1:00 pm to discontinue providing oxygen to her friend, Catie, a woman with lung cancer who stated that she wants to live and keep getting oxygen. NDY sometimes gets calls like this … Continue reading What Can We Do When A Hospital Plans To Involuntarily Withdraw Life Support? →

Lisa Blumberg: What Principles Should Govern Charlie Gard’s Case?

bioethics, court cases, ethics, futility, Health care decision-making, Lisa Blumberg, Our News & Commentary Blog, Peter Singer, surrogate decision making, treatment withdrawal, United Kingdom, ,

The Charlie Gard case concerns a young British child with a very rare genetic condition that has currently left him unable to move, breathe or eat on his own. His parents wanted to take him to the United States for experimental treatment but his London doctors, believing he has suffered enough, wanted to turn off … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg: What Principles Should Govern Charlie Gard’s Case? →

Not Dead of Texas Issues Statement on Chris Dunn “Futility” Case

Bob Kafka, futile care, futility, Not Dead Yet of Texas, texas, , , ,

This is a followup to yesterday’s post about Chris Dunn. Not Dead Yet of Texas has issued a released a release regarding the “futility” decision being fought by the family of Chris Dunn. For Immediate Release Not Dead Yet of Texas has for the last 3 legislative sessions supported amending the Futile Care language in … Continue reading Not Dead of Texas Issues Statement on Chris Dunn “Futility” Case →