Brain-dead Canadian on life support to save fetus

[joeybee12]

ANCOUVER — A 32-year-old Canadian woman who has been declared brain dead is being kept on life support in a Victoria, British Columbia, hospital, with doctors working to keep her alive long enough to deliver her unborn son.

Robyn Benson was just 22 weeks pregnant when she complained of a headache and then collapsed on her bathroom floor, according to postings on a blog and fundraising site by her husband Dylan Benson. Her fetus, already named Iver Cohen Benson, has continued to grow in the womb.

"On December 28th, I lost my wife to a sudden hemorrhage of blood to her brain," Benson wrote. "Based on my decision, they are attempting to keep her body alive for up to 7 more weeks ... Incredibly, they have been successful in doing this for 5 weeks now."

The goal is to wait until the fetus reaches 34 weeks, giving the baby a greater chance of survival, according to Benson. He wrote that doctors plan to deliver his son via Cesarean section and that the baby will spend his first few weeks in hospital.

http://news.msn.com/world/brain-dead-canadian-on-life-support-to-save-fetus

[justiceischeap]

1. Though I still think it's sick to use a dead body as an incubator

it's the family's choice in this case. In the other case, it wasn't their decision. Huge difference in my opinion.

[Politicalboi]

2. Yep

That makes the BIG difference. If the family wants the baby, then it's up to them. IMO. Unless the mother stated otherwise before this happened.

[arthritisR_US]

6. Also, there was almost 3 months gestational

difference. This event happened at 22 wks, the other was just after 12, better outcome for the prospective baby.

[Boom Sound 416]

3. Is the body dead?

[justiceischeap]

5. It would be if they weren't keeping her alive. nt

[Control-Z]

10. Incubating a fetus

in a dead woman's uterus is disturbing to me on so many levels. But, I can understand the husband/father-to-be's point of view. This was obviously a welcome pregnancy with the expected child already named. And a pregnancy already advanced enough, I suppose, to give hope to a reasonable outcome.

I hope this is what the woman/mother-to-be would have chosen.

[Warpy]

4. The difference here is that her husband wants this done.

In the Munoz case, the wishes of the woman, her husband and her parents were simply ignored in favor of keeping what turned out to be a badly damaged fetus alive.

In the Canadian case, the wishes of the woman were unclear but the wishes of her husband, her first degree relative, are being honored. I hope it works and he gets an undamaged son.

I know some women who would want to be kept on life support if they were pregnant and others who want no part of it. It's called choice and it should be honored if the fetus is not viable yet.

[Faryn Balyncd]

7. Other huge differences:

Robyn Benson's 22 week fetus (at the time of her death) was, and remains, apparently healthy, and was within 2-3 weeks of potential viability when she died from a brain hemorrhage, which does not necessarily (and in her case apparently did not, as her fetus appears healthy) result in compromise of fetal circulation.

In contrast, Marlise Munoz died from a pulmonary embolus, which results inevitably in compromise of fetal circulation and profound anoxic insult, making the possibility of a healthy fetus virtually impossible, even if her fetus had been close to potential viability, which, at 14 weeks it was not.

[MH1]

8. You raise significant factual points that are completely lost on the ideologically blinded.

But thank you for raising them. Maybe some light will shine through the blinders at some point.

[kestrel91316]

9. Prediction: Baby will have significant neurological impairment.

I hope I'm wrong, though.

[OnlinePoker]

11. Baby Iver was born Saturday and then his father said goodbye to his mother

Such a sad event when it should have been something joyous.

http://www.timescolonist.com/victoria-father-welcomes-healthy-baby-iver-says-goodbye-to-wife-1.845292

[ananda]

12. I like this ending.

That child will know love.