Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Medical Logistics Involved With Woman Giving Birth While In Vegetative State
CNN: How Does Someone In A Vegetative State Have A Baby?
News of a woman in a vegetative state for more than a decade giving birth to a boy on December 29 has stirred emotions nationwide. The rare medical event raises many questions, including: How can a woman who is unconscious give birth?" It is very rare," said Dr. Deborah Feldman, who has heard about "maybe two or three cases" in the past two decades. Feldman, director for maternal fetal medicine at Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, treated a woman 20 years ago who had a stroke that rendered her brain-dead during her second trimester and who went on to have the baby. Feldman has read about, but has no direct knowledge of, the Arizona case. (Scutti, 1/9)
The Associated Press: Comatose Woman Who Had Baby Is Hospitalized, Police Say
An Arizona woman in a vegetative state who had a baby after she was sexually assaulted at a long-term care facility is recovering at a hospital along with her child, authorities said Wednesday as they ramped up the search for a suspect in a case that's made shockwaves. (Tang, 1/9)
