Maria Korp--she survived attempted murder, but can she survive the courts?
I wanted to point out this case in Australia, of Maria Korp who is in a PVS or some level of coma (depending on the article you read--one said she was in a "medically-induced coma") after surviving attempted murder and being locked in the trunk of a car for 5 days.
Her husband and his lover tried to murder her and now her husband wants to keep her on life support (although I'm not sure I would call it life support--it seems she just has a tracheotomy tube to hold her windpipe open and a PEG tube for feeding). He says she would not want to be taken off life support because of her Catholic beliefs. He also won't be guilty of murder if she stays alive, even in a coma.
The courts are (rightly, I think) not allowing him to have a say in what happens to her, but this case will bear careful watching to see what the courts and court-appointed guardian decide are in her "best interests."
This article at least makes it sound like she has a chance of surviving and maybe even recovering, saying she has a 50% chance of survival without the tube in her throat to assist her breathing, but will die in a few weeks if the feeding tube is removed (of course).
Apparently if there has been no improvement within 3 months of the injury they can declare treatment futile.
According to this article, which is more detailed than the first, she is in a PVS and in Australia it sounds like once you've been diagnosed as in a persistent vegetative state for 3 months they declare it a permanent vegetative state and stop trying to help you.
We need to pray for this woman between now and the 3-month deadline, which will be May 13th.
Her husband and his lover tried to murder her and now her husband wants to keep her on life support (although I'm not sure I would call it life support--it seems she just has a tracheotomy tube to hold her windpipe open and a PEG tube for feeding). He says she would not want to be taken off life support because of her Catholic beliefs. He also won't be guilty of murder if she stays alive, even in a coma.
The courts are (rightly, I think) not allowing him to have a say in what happens to her, but this case will bear careful watching to see what the courts and court-appointed guardian decide are in her "best interests."
This article at least makes it sound like she has a chance of surviving and maybe even recovering, saying she has a 50% chance of survival without the tube in her throat to assist her breathing, but will die in a few weeks if the feeding tube is removed (of course).
Apparently if there has been no improvement within 3 months of the injury they can declare treatment futile.
According to this article, which is more detailed than the first, she is in a PVS and in Australia it sounds like once you've been diagnosed as in a persistent vegetative state for 3 months they declare it a permanent vegetative state and stop trying to help you.
We need to pray for this woman between now and the 3-month deadline, which will be May 13th.
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 1:06 AM[Permanent link]
2 Comments:
Angela,
this is a very interesting story. Maria was reported missing and was found in the boot of her car when the car was discovered. There is a lot more to this story than meets the eye, and I am not sure I want to go into detail about what was first reported regarding some relationship tangles.
Anyway, there are similarities between the condition of this woman and Terri's condition. There had been an attempt to murder Maria Korp via strangulation. Just like Terri had a tracheotomy, Maria has had one to help her air passages. It is more than likely that she has a feeding tube.
I am familiar with the Alfred hospital. It is the closest available public hospital to where she was discovered. The Alfred has its good and bad points. However, it is not the hospital but the bioethicist who is attempting to call the shots on how long Maria should be allowed to remain in that state.
I fear that the person pushing for her death (not her husband) is doing this as a follow on from Terri's case. The doctor in question is very misguided on the matter.
The husband is implicated in the attempt to murder Maria, but it is the "girfriend" that is of real interest in the story. She wanted Maria's husband for herself. The whole affair is very strange.
I must make sure that I start finding information on her story and condition. The female doctor who wants her dead should be thrown out of medicine.
You're right . . . it looks like her husband hasn't been convicted and is claiming innocence.
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