|
|
Article: If mother dies, should her fetus live on? (Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- August 24, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Is it morally right to keep a dead woman who is pregnant attached to life support machines in order to let her fetus live? A recent case in California shows that such a question is not hypothetical.
Trisha Marshall died of a gunshot wound to the head on April 21 while 17 weeks pregnant. David Smith, the father, asked hospital officials to do whatever they could to save the fetus. Marshall's body was kept on life support machines at Highland hospital in Oakland in the hope that her fetus would develop to the point where it could live.
On Aug. 4, a 4-pound, 15-ounce baby boy was delivered four weeks prematurely by Caesarean section. Dr. Richard Fulroth, who headed the ...