'Marlise's Law' Would Give Pregnant People End-of-Life Decision Rights

“Being pregnant should not prohibit a woman from having her personal decision respected,” Naishtat is quoted as saying. “The law should reflect the consideration a woman puts into planning the treatment she wishes to receive, or not receive, when she is no longer able to express herself. Planning for end-of-life care is a deeply personal decision-making process for all persons, including those who may be pregnant.”

Grimes reports that Munoz’s husband Erick and her father Ernie Machado supported the law at an emotional press conference, saying it would keep other families from going through the ordeal they experienced. The family had to face off in court against John Peter Smith Hospital, arguing that Munoz, a paramedic, had been clear that she never wanted to be kept alive artificially.

“We did what was best for Marlise,” Machado said at the press conference. “We continue to do what we think is best for Marlise now that she has passed away, so that other families don’t have to go through what we did.”

Meanwhile, though, another state representative, Matt Krause, is sponsoring a bill that would appoint guardians ad litem for the fetuses of brain-dead people. (Not the first time a non-person has been given more legal rights than the living person whose body it inhabits: states like Alabama already appoint attorneys for the fetuses of pregnant minors.) Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed a bill last June making it illegal to take a pregnant person off life support in the event that they become mentally incapacitated. You can check here whether your state overrides advance directives in the event of pregnancy.

Erick Munoz, center, leaves a Fort Worth courthouse last January. Photo via AP