PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – A teenage mother is fighting a do-not-resuscitate order imposed over her objections on her brain-damaged daughter, saying she should be responsible for medical decisions. Child welfare officials who intervened after the baby was severely injured say life-saving measures in the event she stops breathing would only prolong her suffering.
The mother, Virginia Trask, originally agreed to the do-not-resuscitate order. At one point, the infant was removed from life support and placed in her arms to die, then opened her eyes and began breathing.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine and Christian Civic League of Maine are joining the Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona-based conservative legal group, in supporting the 18-year-old mother’s request to lift the judge-approved order.
“Everyone deserves a fighting chance to live,” said Steve Aden, from the Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief. “All she’s doing is fighting for her baby.”
Maine’s supreme court will hear arguments later this month.