Jahi McMath family attorney: 'They are not fools. They know the odds'

[Jesus Malverde]

The attorney for the family of Jahi McMath is defending their actions in a new op-ed that criticizes "self-righteous commenters" and praises the 13-year-old brain-dead girl's mother for her courage despite "incendiary, hateful public rhetoric."

The op-ed by San Francisco attorney Christopher Dolan, published in the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, comes after medical ethicists and physicians have criticized the decision to keep Jahi on a ventilator despite her being declared brain dead on Dec. 12 -- a decision affirmed by at least three neurologists.

Medical experts have said the decision to allow the family to transfer the girl from Children's Hospital Oakland to an undisclosed facility has only perpetuated misconceptions of brain death that have dogged the Jahi case since her family went public.


http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-jahi-mcmath-family-attorney-20140121,0,4696764.story#ixzz2r9VqNAum

[Donald Ian Rankin]

1. Poor sods.

If I had a loved-one declared brain dead, I think I'd find it very hard indeed to accept the advice of the medical experts to turn off the life support, and I'd fight quite hard to get it prevented - not because I seriously doubted them, but because if it were turned off I'd spend the rest of my life wondering "what if...?"

On the other hand, I don't think that sparing the feelings of relatives is as good a use for medical resources as saving lives, and I don't think the state should subsidise this, sadly,

But I have nothing but contempt for anyone who attacks a family for fighting against that in the case of their child - it must be extraordinarily difficult not to.

[IdaBriggs]

2. I sympathize. We have some brain dead relatives; we can tell because --

they vote Republican.



Sigh. Dark humor. Prayers for all involved.