Court Won’t Back Forced Cesarean
The state’s highest court refused Thursday to enter a dispute over an attempt to force a pregnant woman to have a Cesarean section to save her endangered fetus.
The Illinois Supreme Court’s two-sentence order upheld an appellate court ruling and effectively ended an appeal by Cook County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy, the court-appointed guardian for the fetus.
Murphy said he would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court but questioned whether the high court could act in time.
Authorities went to court to force the unidentified woman to have the Cesarean section to save the fetus from death or severe brain damage. Murphy argued that the rights of the fetus prevailed over those of the mother.
Doctors say the fetus, which at 37 weeks is 1 1/2 weeks shy of full term, is being deprived of oxygen and will die or suffer severe brain damage unless it is surgically removed from the womb.
The 22-year-old Chicago woman, identified as “Mrs. Doe” or “Mother Doe” in court papers, says that God will protect her fetus through miracles, according to records.
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