My release on North Country Gazette

Andrea Clark's life hangs in the balance in Houston, Texas as her hospital, St. Luke's, is preparing to remove medical care from her Tuesday, based upon the "ethics" committee opinion that treatment is "futile care" in her case.

Although Andrea Clark has good insurance, the Texas futile care law states that "If either the family does not seek an extension or the judge fails to grant one, futile treatment may be unilaterally withdrawn by the treatment team with immunity from civil or criminal prosecution. [2]"

Is anyone safe in a hospital anymore when the law protects the facility from civil and criminal prosecution for deciding that a person is no longer worthy of living?

Richard Carpenter Jr. should be immediately disqualified from being able to even comment on a matter involving ethics, having spent years terminating the lives of innocent pre-born babies.

Clark's sister, Lanore Dixon, exclaimed, "St. Luke's has agreed not to pull Andrea's life support at least until Tuesday. On Tuesday, a committee of doctors from St. Luke's will meet to discuss how to proceed with Andrea's case. Andrea's new doctor-a doctor who shares our values about the sacredness of life-will take over her care on Tuesday and will fight for her right to live. Let us all hope and pray that the committee meeting on Tuesday is chaired by doctors who have a reverence for life and not a former abortionist like the St. Luke's ethics committee chair.

Our nation is routinely ending innocent lives, like Terri Schindler Schiavo, even when entire families agree completely that they want their loved ones to live.

No abortionist, should even be allowed to sit in on an ethics committee hearing, let alone chair one.

Leslie Hanks
Vice President
Colorado Right To Life