by EMILY SZPAK Social Media Coordinator
A pregnant woman in Texas was taken off of life support on Sunday, January 26 after being declared brain-dead in November.
Marlise Munoz was kept on life support for her fetus, but after it was made clear that the baby could not be delivered alive, a court made the decision to allow her life support to be removed. The fetus was 23 weeks old. The family of Munoz, including her husband, grieve while laying her body to rest.
Erick Munoz found his wife unconscious in their home on November 26. Doctors believe the incident may have been caused by a blood clot. Munoz was later declared brain-dead medically and legally. Being brain dead means your brain does not have any activity going on and a person is legally dead, despite other organs functioning.
Despite Munoz’s wishes to be taken off life support if ever found in the situation, Texas law would not allow it due to the pregnancy.
“Texas should probably edit this law, because it doesn’t really make sense in this situation,” says an anonymous senior.
Erick Munoz sued the hospital because of their refusal to take his wife off of life support in defiance of her wishes. The case sparked many debates regarding anti-abortion activists, even questioning Texas state law.
The judge decided to side with Munoz, stating that the woman is dead and the fetus cannot be successfully delivered. The hospital took her off life support at 11:30 am on Sunday, January 26.
Those who were against the mother being taken off life support argued that the life of an unborn child was involved. The fetus was 23 weeks along, clearly not long enough for a newborn baby to develop. The survival of the child would be impossible due to loss of oxygen as no one knew how long Munoz laid dead before her husband discovered her.
“That’s absurd! How could the hospital keep her alive when she is clearly dead? It’s disrespectful to the family!” says junior Alexa Rizzo.
After a long couple of weeks, Munoz can finally be buried and the family can be assured that she is not resting in peace.
What side would you take in the Munoz case?