Man keeps wife on life support to save unborn child

[AbbaRabbit]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 4:53pm

what are everyone's thoughts on this?

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2005/s1395234.htm

[Snaps]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 4:59pm

I might just be naive, but it does seem to me that this man has the thoughts of his wife weighing heavily on his decisions, and I think that if he believes that she would want to give this baby a chance, he is right in doing what he can to honor that wish.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 5:22pm

*sigh* Good Luck! The odds that there will be no other problems are not so good. THEN what do u do?

[KelRel]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 5:23pm

I know that if it were me I would want my husband to do the same thing, I would want to give my chance every chance possible to live. This is not like its a choice between the baby or his wife, there is nothing that can be done for the wife,why not try to save the baby?

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 7:13pm

I would feel differently if the pregnancy had been more advanced, but three months is very early. It is at the point in a pregnancy where miscarriages are still very common and where the fetus still has months of development ahead before it is a viable human being. In a setting where cancer has already rendered the mother braindead, it strikes me that there is a very hight risk of complications for the infant. This is going to come out sounding cold and harsh, but the decision to keep the braindead woman "alive" for 3 1/2 more months (after her death) strikes me as being unrealistic, emotional, and dare I say it, self-indulgent. There is a two year old motherless toddler at home. There are a gazillion dollars in uncovered bills mounting daily, and there is a high likelihood that the problems aren't going to stop there.
Although I don't have terribly strong feelings about it, neither do I think this is brave or wonderful.

[BluCat500]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 7:15pm

This article broke my heart...whether it is right or wrong one can't blame him for hoping...or at least I can't

[Jimmyojimmy]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 7:19pm

Yeah I agree Blucat, I read it and felt so sad. I just hope the child pulls through and they all live on. But mostly I hope the man remarries so that those two kids can have a mother.

[stonewall2]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 10:01pm

What a terrible dilemma. Thankfully, we are not faced with the difficult decisions that this poor man is dealing with. I hope that the family gains peace and joy in the very near future.

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 10:17pm

Susan Torres was a vaccine researcher at NIH here in the Washington D.C. area. Her family's plight has been well publicized here and a fund has been set up to help defray the mounting medical costs. If you are interested in learning more, they have a website: www.susantorresfund.org.

[AbbaRabbit]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 10:21pm

That's good to know BlueMoon. I hope they can get enought to pay the bills alreday piled up.
The article said Yale/New Haven... is this happening in CT, or in DC?

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 10:23pm

The doctor who was interviewed was from Yale, but the Torres family lives in Alexandria VA, a suburb of Washington.

[AbbaRabbit]

Posted: 6/18/05 at 10:25pm

Oooh... OK.