Texas Family Blocks Brain Death Test for 2-Year-Old After Drowning
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 26
Texas Family Blocks Brain Death Test for 2-Year-Old After Drowning
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 26
Summary
Memorial Day pool accident left 2-year-old Annelise Camp unconscious in Texas, and her family is now resisting a hospital test to confirm doctors’ view that she is brain-dead.
CPR restored a faint heartbeat but not a wrist pulse, and Annelise has remained on a ventilator at a Houston-area hospital since the near-drowning.
Under Texas law, hospitals can withdraw ventilators and other life-sustaining treatment after a patient is declared brain-dead, making the disputed test the key step in the case.
The fight reflects a broader legal and moral divide: doctors call brain-death testing a noninvasive diagnostic procedure, while right-to-life and some religious groups tie life to a beating heart.