Hospital won't aid transfer of girl on ventilator

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A California hospital is unwilling to allow an outside doctor to fit a 13-year-old declared brain dead after tonsil surgery with the breathing and feeding tubes that would allow her to be safely transferred to another facility, its lawyer said Tuesday.

Children's Hospital Oakland will not permit the procedures to be performed on its premises because Jahi McMath is legally dead in the view of doctors who have examined her, lawyer Douglas Straus wrote in a letter to the girl's family.

"Performing medical procedures on the body of a deceased human being is simply not something Children's Hospital can do or ask its staff to assist in doing," he said.

The refusal appeared to reverse the position articulated Monday by a hospital spokesman. He said the hospital would allow a doctor retained by the family to insert a feeding tube and to replace the oral ventilator keeping Jahi's heart beating with a tracheal tube — surgical procedures that would stabilize Jahi if she is moved to a facility willing to keep caring for her.

Don’t be ridiculous. You are ascribing motivations to the family that you have no way of knowing.

You are right, nobody knows what motivates anyone else in their hearts, really. And so I was indeed ascribing motivations to the family but I did so as an alternative to another more cynical set of motivations originally ascribed by another. Let me remind you of the statement made that I was responding to (quoted in my first post): No doubt the parents are seeking retribution and milking this for all they are worth.

As a father, if I lost my child in such a shocking and unexpected way, I don't imagine my first thought would be to "milk this for they are worth". Maybe that is indeed what this is about, and they are planning to move their child to a private clinic so they can keep her "alive" on a ventilator so they can gain sympathy from a jury, and once they get a big payout and they don't need her anymore they will consent to let her go. That seems awfully mercenary to me and if it's the truth, frankly, I prefer to see it with rose colored glasses and assume they love their child and are desperate to believe she can be saved.

If she is alive, it’s wrong to kill her. If she’s dead, it’s wrong to keep her rotting corpse partially functioning on machines. This is true, no matter who her parents are. The issue is whether she’s alive or dead.

It is beside the point, and ridiculous, to argue over who has the right to kill a living patient. Nobody does.

It is beside the point, and ridiculous, to argue over who has the right to abuse a corpse by keeping it hooked up to machines in an attempt to make it appear alive. Nobody does.

What has been appalling? I have said nothing more the. Medical fact. If it is the truth that your are appalled by so be it. I cannot help not control that. If you are upset by my response to personal attack I am sorry that you cannot bear someone defending themselves. The problem is this, often people with your perspective attack with emotion to obliterate the truth. I choose not to live in that world. The Socratic conditions of debate are honesty, candor, and good will. You are showing none of those. I probably would not enjoy taking care of you or your loved ones as a result of your lack of unrealistic attitude. Just because you can make a personal attack does not mean this is a one way street. You impugned my integrity without any provocation. I am in fact a physician with four board certifications including critical care and Neuro critical care. You have not the first idea of how I practice medicine. Would you like to see the hundreds of letters and several awards I have received around the compassionate delivery of healthcare? Of course not, you are far too narrow minded.

What have I said that it materially incorrect? I have not problem with the family arranging different plans for the body. If they want to ventilate the dead body, fine. But to demand people to pay for it and arrange it? Sorry. I can't support that! You think the hospital is doing this ?? Try dealing with the fact that this is a physician issue. Have you ever cared for the dying? Stood at bedside for hours doing your best to help? Can you forecast the consequence of this insanity? I can. By allowing the courts into a scientific and medical decision by a judge not trained it only opens the door to government abuse. Your advocacy has only accelerated that which you are afraid. Again you probably don't think along those lines. If you want to make an argument at least educate yourself on how to make an intelligent fact based argument not an emotional one. I cannot wait to hear what has been so appalling.

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