AAPD urges TX Gov. Perry to Protect Emilio Gonzales
Dear Readers,
Last week, JFA sent out an action alert to make readers aware of
the case of young Emilio Gonzales in
readers to write Governor Perry to intervene on his behalf. On
account of Texas's "futile care" laws, 16-month Emilio, who has
Leigh's disease, stands to die at the end of a 10-day countdown
(THIS FRIDAY) when his respirator will be disconnected against the
express wishes of his mother if she cannot find another hospital
willing to accept him as a transfer patient before that time.
A copy of that action alert can be found at:
http://www.jfanow.org/jfanow/index.php?mode=A&id=3182
Today, AAPD sent a letter to Governor Perry of
intervene on behalf Emilio and require that his treatment continue
until another hospital is located to continue his care. A copy of
AAPD's letter is found below.
You can read more about Emilio Gonzales and his mother's fight for
his life in local Austin news coverage found at:
www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/13/13emilio.html
www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/07/7emilio.html
www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou070313_ac_babylifesupport.aec2c86.html
www.postchronicle.com/news/breakingnews/article_21269067.shtml
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March 19, 2007
Governor Rick Perry
Office of the Governor
State Insurance Building
1100 San Jacinto
Austin, TX 78701
Dear Governor Perry,
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the
largest national nonprofit cross-disability member organization in
the United States, writes to urge you to act immediately to
protect young Emilio Gonzales by ensuring that his treatment
continues at the Childrens Hospital of Austin until
he can be
safely transferred to another facility that is prepared to take
responsibility for his care and treatment. Continuation of his
care represents respect and protection of this vulnerable childs
physical integrity on an equal basis with others. AAPD urges you
to intervene on behalf of Emilio Gonzales and stop the 10-day
countdown the hospital has begun, after which time the hospital
will discontinue critical treatments necessary to preserve his
life.
In 2005, AAPD and 42 other disability organizations prepared and
endorsed a Statement of common principles on life-sustaining care
and treatment of people with disabilities. In that statement, we
note that children with significant disabilities have been
especially vulnerable to violations of their fundamental rights,
including the denial of access to life-sustaining care and
treatment, such as routine medical treatment and food and fluids.
We also note that [w]hen doubt exists as to whether to provide
life-sustaining care and treatment a presumption must always be
made in favor of providing such care and treatment.
Paternalism and prejudice have played significant roles in the
healthcare experiences of people with disabilities for decades and
the freedom to make medical choices is a liberty that people with
disabilities have historically been denied. AAPD believes that
Catarina Gonzales is in the best position to make
decisions
regarding the care her son should receive and that no doctor or
hospital ethics board should be permitted to override those
decisions, especially when the hospital seeks to end Emilios
life
against his mothers wishes.
AAPD strongly believes that if any bias is to exist in such
medical contexts, it should exist in favor of the preservation of
life rather than the abbreviation of it. The humanity in
healthcare, not the costs of it, should drive these decisions.
Economics-based logic in the provision of healthcare often plays
out in a way that harms the most vulnerable patients. AAPD is
concerned about the precedent that this case would represent and
its contribution to a national growth of futile care laws and
policies. AAPD calls on you to show strong leadership in this
matter by intervening on behalf of Emilio Gonzales before the
hospitals 10-day time limit is reached on March 23rd.
Respectfully,
Andrew J. Imparato
President and CEO
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
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