Munoz Case Update

[Content Note: War on agency; misogyny; disablism; end-of-life decisions]

Last week, I wrote about the case of Marlise Munoz, a Texas woman who is currently brain dead and being kept alive by a ventilator, against her stated wishes, because she is pregnant, and Texas law "prohibits withdrawing or withholding life-sustaining treatment from a pregnant patient, regardless of her wishes."

Yesterday, CNN reported that her family's attorneys revealed that the fetus her artificially-alive body is carrying is "distinctly abnormal."

"Even at this early stage, the lower extremities are deformed to the extent that the gender cannot be determined. The fetus suffers from hydrocephalus. It also appears that there are further abnormalities, including a possible heart problem, that cannot be specifically determined due to the immobile nature of Mrs. Munoz's deceased body.

"Quite sadly, this information is not surprising due to the fact that the fetus, after being deprived of oxygen for an indeterminate length of time, is gestating within a dead and deteriorating body, as a horrified family looks on in absolute anguish, distress and sadness," attorneys Jessica Janicek and Heather King said in a statement.

This information was disclosed ahead of a hearing scheduled for tomorrow, which may determine whether Marlise is removed from life support.

I have a lot of feelings about this, but I want to quote Mikki Kendall (@karnythia) who tweeted the following last night, which is smart and succinct and also reflects my overarching reaction: "I'm...uncomfortable with these write ups out of Texas that frame the Munoz case as being about an abnormal fetus. Marlise Munoz should have been able to pass away in peace, because she's a person. Not because of potential disability for the fetus. Please note, I'm not upset that the family is trying every tactic they can think of, I just want to head off the resulting think pieces."

Yeah.