Woman Refuses Caesarean, Charged With Murder

AP ^ | 3-12-04

[knuthom]

How can they charge her with murder when she could have had the baby deliberately killed via abortion? She made a stupid and selfish choice. But she had the right to make that decision.

This kind of maternal selfishness is not that uncommon. It occurs more frequently in women with preterm labor. There are drugs that can stop the contractions, but they can make the mother uncomfortable. There are women who choose to stop the medicine, even though the baby risks premature birth with all its problems.

[avg_freeper]

I have in the past dealt with organizations that care for or treat the mentally handicapped. You start to notice similarities in the physical characteristics of some of the individuals born with chromosomal abnormalities. Based on that experience I made my statement.

Your super powers of "Uber-Jerkdom" provide you with an amazing ability to prejudge the experience of others.

[StriperSniper]

Yup, she should have called Kate Michelman.

[TigersEye]

That would seem to be a wise idea - because after carrying a child to term, and then stating coldly, that to avoid a scar, ...

No where in the article does it say that she said that. She is quoted as saying 'One nurse told police that Rowland said she would rather "lose one of the babies than be cut like that."' The only reference to 'cosmetic' concerns come from the DA.

"We are unable to find any reason other than the cosmetic motivations by the mother" for her decision, (district attorney, Kent Morgan) said.

The only one moving in this debate is you. You have sidestepped every question I have put to you.

I simply have been voicing my opinion that this woman's 'choice' was an atrocious example of selfishness.

Is that what you meant by the 'genepool' crack based on one still photo taken at the worst time of her life?

[TigersEye]

Your super powers of "Uber-Jerkdom" provide you with an amazing ability to prejudge the experience of others.

That's enormously funny after making the following statement:

You start to notice similarities in the physical characteristics of some of the individuals born with chromosomal abnormalities. Based on that experience I made my statement.

Your own dimished capacity is showing. =8-O

[Mamzelle]

re: A doctor can say that it is a probablility that the fetus would have lived but to make an absolute statement that it would have lived ("if only an operation had been performed") is nothing but arrogance and CYA.)))

Indubitably. I guess they've been paying attention.

[Sloth]

Murder is not an appropriate charge, as her actions were passive, rather than active like abortion. It's more of a neglect case.

[Your Nightmare]

What makes anyone think that she could have gotten a legal abortion at that stage of her pregnancy?

[TigersEye]

It's all about liability. Pilate knew that.

[TigersEye]

Authorities charged 28-year-old Rowland with murder on Thursday, saying she exhibited "depraved indifference to human life," according to court documents.

The woman sought medical advice in December because she hadn't felt the fetuses move, documents said.

Some things just make you scratch your head and go "hmmmmm."

[Mamzelle]

Pilate--

We could depose the Empire.

[KosmicKitty]

My concern is that this woman did not have an accurate picture of what a c-section involves. It seems that she believed that she would have been split open. I've had 4 C-sections myself (I could wear a bkini w/ no scar showing, not too say that it would be a pretty picture) and know that's not the way sections are done, not for the last 25 years anyway. Why didn't someone involved in her care at the hospital explain to her how a c-section is done, show her pictures of something. If she was informed, then I would have to question her mental health or capaity.

And I question her prenatal care. If she was receiving prenatal care, her doctor should have picked up any problems, and educated her to the possibilities that she was facing. But the article states she went to a hospital due to lack of fetal movement, so I'm led to believe that she had no doctor of her own.

Very sad, there won't be any winners here.

[TigersEye]

Another thread on this story here.

[TigersEye]

We could depose the Empire.

Tempting. Very tempting. ; )

[Rubber_Duckie_27]

I agree.

How sad that the baby died...but I am uncomfortable with a medical professional being able to get me charged with a crime if I do not accept their advice. The mother does sound very mis-informed, but consider that she may have a mental disability. If her only knowledge of a C-section was the long vertical scar that an older female relative had, then I can see a woman of limited cognitive ability misunderstanding.

My ENT has advised me several times that my tonsils need to be removed and I have not taken that advice (yet) - so if I have an abcess, will he be able to have my husband charged with attempted murder or neglect because we didn't take his advice? Seems to me as if the doctor involved may have realized something was wrong with one of the twins and wanted to cover himself legally by putting the blame on the woman.

As distasteful and sad as I find this situation, I do not want the door to be opened to a scenario in which a doctor can force a patient to undergo major surgery or another procedure by threatening legal action.

[TigersEye]

I guess that will have to apply to mothers who smoke, mothers who don't wear seat belts, mothers who drink ... if something happens to their child.

[TigersEye]

The state can easily argue that, even though the risk to the mother's life was doubled, it was still a very small risk.

And of course the state has the right to assess risks for its 'citizens.'

Welcome to the Gulag State, my fellow Amerikans!

[TigersEye]

The baby that died did so before delivery was initiated.

And the one that lived sort of proves that death was not a certainty without a C-section. Could the doctors provide a certain gaurantee that both babies and the mother would have lived if they had performed a C-section?