Woman who gave birth in care facility 'was not in vegetative state'
The woman who gave birth following her alleged rape at a health centre in Arizona is not in a coma, her attorney said.
It has been reported that the 29-year-old, who gave birth at the Hacienda HealthCare in Phoenix last month, was in a vegetative state, but her attorney John Micheaels says she is able to recognise family and respond to them in a limited way.
“The important thing here is that contrary to what’s been reported, she is a person, albeit with significant intellectual disabilities,” Micheaels told The Arizona Republic.
“She has feelings and is capable of responding to people she is familiar with, especially family.”
Micheaels said the woman, who has been in the facility for 26 years, suffers from her condition after repeated seizures during her early childhood.
The woman’s medical records that are part of her guardianship file in Maricopa County Superior Court describe her condition as “flaccid quadriplegia,” however Micheaels said she able of some movement in her limbs as well as her head and neck.
Police search for woman’s alleged rapist
Police say the woman was sexually assaulted and are trying to track down the assailant.
Investigators are collecting DNA from the facility’s male employees and anyone else who may have had contact with her.
The CEO of Hacienda HealthCare Bill Timmons resigned last week as the provider announced new safety measures, including more than one staff member being present during patient interactions and more scrutiny of visitors.
The state has since banned the facility from admitting new patients.
The facility specialises in providing around-the-clock care for infants, children and young adults with developmental disabilities or who are “medically fragile.”
The notion that none of the woman’s caregivers knew she was pregnant has drawn scepticism. But medical experts say it’s possible she displayed no outward signs that workers would have noticed, especially by those who don’t work with pregnant patients.
Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix’s Dr C Kevin Huls said someone who’s fed through a tube everyday might not show dramatic changes such as a swollen stomach.
It also remains unclear if anyone had noticed if the woman had stopped menstruating.
The woman’s mother, who is her legal guardian, is required under state law to submit an annual report that includes results of a physical, according to Maricopa County Superior Court documents. A doctor examined the woman on April 16 and found “no change” in her health during an external exam.
Her family, who are members of the San Carlos Apache tribe in south-eastern Arizona, said in a statement through their attorney that they will care for the infant boy and have asked for privacy.
– With AP
