Over the past month, 2 heartbreaking stories have been in the news. First was the 12 year old California girl who was left brain dead after a seemingly routine tonsil removal operation, and the second was a young Texas mother who was pregnant with another child who became brain dead after suffering an embolism. In the first case, the girl’s parents are holding out hope that she will recover, and had her put on life support and taken to a rehab center, after having to go to court to force the hospital to continue treatment.. The second case is much worse. Because of the way the hospital interpreted a Texas law that says that life saving treatment can’t be witheld from a pregnant woman, the woman’s family had to go to court and show that the baby was not viable before they could get the hospital to agree to stop support. It may be uncomfortable to some people to talk about death, but it is helpful to tell your family what your wishes are in case you’re ever incapacitated. Get it put in writing!
