Life

Court Grants Order Preventing Texas Hospital From Removing Baby’s Life Support Against Family’s Wishes

Newborn_Baby | Circa October 2015 | Mindy Olson P mindyop via Wikimedia Commons

A court granted an order Friday preventing a Texas hospital from removing baby Tinslee Lewis from life support until the court makes a final ruling in the case.

The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, Texas, granted the baby emergency relief and ordered Cook Children’s Medical Center not to remove Lewis from life support until the court makes a final ruling in the case. The court delayed a Thursday ruling by Tarrant County Judge Sandee Marion that the medical center can take the baby off life support against her family’s wishes.

The court has not set the date of the appeal. Marion also denied a request by the baby’s mother, Trinity Lewis, to issue an injunction preventing the hospital from taking Tinslee Lewis off life support.

Appeals court grants emergency motion to keep baby at Cook Children’s on life support https://t.co/J1j5XEhDNR

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram (@startelegram) January 4, 2020

The decision means more time for Tinslee Lewis, the pro-life group Texas Right to Life told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Texas Right to Life is thankful that the court granted this emergency relief for Tinslee,” spokeswoman Kim Schwartz told the DCNF. “It’s a prayer answered. This decision means more time for Tinslee.  We don’t know how much time yet; that will be decided by the court, but it will be at least until the appeal is heard.”

BREAKING: Baby Tinslee wins emergency relief from a court. The hospital cannot pull the plug on her while the appeals case is pending. #ProLife #TinsleeLewis

— Texas Right to Life (@TXRightToLife) January 3, 2020

Tinslee Lewis was born in February 2019 with severe medical problems and has been on life support in Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth since July, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Officials at the hospital say the baby is in pain and that there is nothing to be done for her, but the family disagrees. Tinslee Lewis suffers from a rare heart defect called Ebstein anomaly as well as chronic lung disease and severe chronic pulmonary hypertension. She has gone through several complicated surgeries.

“I want to be the one to make the decision for her,” Trinity Lewis said at a hearing in December. The Texas Right to Life spokeswoman, Schwartz, also told the DCNF that “Tinslee is not in immediate danger of death.”

“I am heartbroken over today’s decision because the judge basically said Tinslee’s life is NOT worth living,” Trinity Lewis said in a statement after the Thursday ruling. “I feel frustrated because anyone in that courtroom would want more time just like I do if Tinslee were their baby. I hope that we can keep fighting through an appeal to protect Tinslee. She deserves the right to live. Please keep praying for Tinslee and thank you for supporting us during this difficult time.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, both Republicans, have called the situation “complex and heartbreaking” and promised Thursday to “continue to support” the family’s fight.

“The State of Texas is fully prepared to continue its support of Ms. Lewis in the Supreme Court if necessary,” Abbott and Paxton said in a Thursday statement. “We are working diligently to do all we can to ensure that Tinslee and her family are provided the care and support that they seek.”