Wednesday, April 30, 2008

In Memoriam - Robert Wendland

A car accident left Robert Wendland in a coma. Seventeen months later, he came out of the coma, but had been what experts describe as minimally conscious.

Later, Robert Wendland could recognize some people and follow certain instructions, his mother Florence said. His wife Rose said her husband, who gets his nourishment through a tube, is a shell of his former self.

Rose wanted the tube removed so her husband could die. Florence wanted it to stay.

Robert's fate was in the hands of the California Supreme Court.



The California Supreme Court decided that a court-appointed conservator cannot order feeding tubes to be pulled from a conscious yet "incompetent" patient, without that patients own formal instructions.
Conservatorship of the Person of Robert Wendland

See also:
Robert's Legacy - Conservatorship of Wendland

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Then, my questions are: how can court appointed guardians, including temporary guardians, continue to get away with ending their Ward's lives by forcing their Wards to take psychotropic medications and by withholding food and water?