Sunday, September 19, 2010

Mother Denies Heart Surgery For Infant, Cites Religion

Posted: 5:04 pm EDT September 17, 2010
Updated: 3:49 pm EDT September 18, 2010


ATLANTA -- An Atlanta woman is refusing to let doctors perform heart surgery on her infant because of her religious convictions.

One-and-a-half year old Billie Varner was born premature with a serious heart problem. She is hooked up to a heart monitor 24-hours a day and has already been resuscitated several times.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta doctors said she needs surgery because her heart can give out at anytime, but her mother, Zayna, won’t sign the consent form.

The form gives doctors the right to conduct a blood transfusion in the event of an emergency, and Zayna said that conflicts with her beliefs as a Jehovah’s Witness.

“In my understanding of the Bible and reading the scriptures, when it says to abstain from blood, it's my father telling me to abstain from blood because there could be dangers involved," she said.

The hospital obtained a court order to perform surgery on Billie’s twin sister Brooklyn, who was born with the same defect. Doctors performed emergency surgery on Brooklyn when she was 3 weeks old.

But Zayna said a Columbus, Ohio, hospital can perform the surgery without any chance of a transfusion. The only problem is that Georgia’s Medicare program won't pay for it.

If she ever does take Billie to the hospital, Zayna fears her children will be taken away from her without the consent form. Time will tell how long she’s willing to wait.

From: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/25055953/detail.html

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.