Comatose Woman to Undergo Therapy

A comatose woman who had an abortion last month after an emotional legal battle that reached the U.S. Supreme Court was transferred Thursday to a rehabilitation center.

“I told her we had worked hard to get her into a place that will get her home faster,” said Nancy Klein’s husband, Martin.

Klein, 34, said he does not know how much his wife understands. She suffered severe brain injuries Dec. 13 in a car accident near her home on Long Island and has been comatose since.

Klein went to court last month and won guardianship of his wife so he could authorize an abortion. She had been pregnant 17 weeks.

Anti-abortion activists challenged the guardianship and appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case. In a lower court, doctors for both sides disagreed about whether having an abortion could help Mrs. Klein recover.

Mrs. Klein’s relatives say they have been encouraged by signs of progress since the Feb. 11 abortion. Anne Zusselman of Delray Beach, Fla., said her daughter can move her head to both sides, open her mouth and lift her left arm on command.