Haleigh Poutre was given a death sentence by doctors who said she was “virtually brain dead” and in a “hopeless” state of “persistent vegetation”.
The eleven year-old was hospitalized after her stepfather allegedly burned her and beat her unconscious with a baseball bat. Less than three weeks later, the Massachusetts Department of Social Services pushed to remove Haleigh's feeding tube and respirator and won approval from the State Supreme Court to so.
Well, the young girl fought, and she lived. Today, two weeks later, Haleigh was moved to a rehabilitation facility.
Despite her "hopeless" condition, and her status as "virtually brain dead", she reportedly began showing signs of improvement and was weaned off her ventilator. The week before the SJC ruled on Jan. 17 that life support could be removed, DSS ordered a new round of tests on Haleigh after her biological mother visited and described the girl as being responsive.
A sad twist to the story is the fact that the DSS, the agency that petitioned the court to end her life, was aware that she had suffered injuries prior to the event that left her incapacitated and hospitalized.
The swiftness with which DSS acted in this instance stands in stark contrast to the dawdling that characterized its efforts during Haleigh's healthier days. What's more, DSS's efforts ran contrary to the prevailing medical opinion: the end result of a vegetative state is difficult to predict, especially so in the earliest days and weeks of such a condition. What's more, children who come to this condition through a trauma, as Haleigh did, are far more likely to recover because of their still growing brains. - The Weekly StandardNow the Boston Globe reports that on Tuesday, DSS Commissioner Harry Spence said he went to Haleigh's room at Baystate and noticed "a quiet brown-haired girl lying in bed." It's about time!
In front of her, [Spence] said, there were three objects: a yellow duck, a Curious George stuffed animal, and a yellow block. He said a DSS social worker accompanied him, and she said, ''Haleigh, this is Harry."Keep fighting Haleigh!''Give him the yellow duck," the social worker said, according to Spence's recollection.
Haleigh picked up the yellow duck, he said.
''Where's Curious George?" the social worker asked Haleigh.
Haleigh then picked up the stuffed animal, Spence said.
Michelle Malkin challenged Hollywood's "Save Tookie" crowd to apply their "err on the side of life" standard to an innocent child for once. And remember, doctors said she was in a persistent vegetative states, nearly brain dead and hopeless. The DSS sought to end her life because she was incapacitated. Now she is improving.
More Information: Hyscience, The Weekly Standard
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