The 10-day countdown imposed on the life of Beaumont woman Carolyn Jones will end Monday, as time will expire before the middle-class family can muster the resources to secure an extension through the court.
Donald Jones and his daughter, Kina, will spend this Mother’s Day grieving and cherishing their final Sunday with Carolyn Jones, a hospitalized Beaumont woman turned victim of the notorious Texas 10-Day Rule.
Memorial Hermann Southwest invoked the 10-Day Rule last Thursday on Carolyn, counting down until hospital administrators can legally pull the plug on the stroke victim against Donald’s will, her medical power of attorney. The 10 days Donald received to save his wife’s life will expire on Monday, May 13, 2019. This form of involuntary euthanasia is legal under the 10-day provision of the Texas Advance Directives Act (Chapter 166.046 of the Texas Health and Safety Code).
Carolyn is not brain dead and if provided continued care, could live until her natural death occurs just like any other patient.
The 10-Day Rule forces everyday Texans to race against the clock to save their loved ones. Sometimes in 10-day cases, the family can petition a judge for a time extension. Such extensions are only granted, though, if the family can prove they have a reasonable expectation to transfer the patient to another care setting in the following weeks. Carolyn is healthy enough that three Houston facilities have clinically agreed to care for her, but, tragically, complex legal hurdles block Carolyn’s financial acceptance to these facilities. With no hope of mustering tens of thousands of dollars in just a few days, the middle-class Jones family have no options for legal recourse.
Kina, the Jones’ 32-year-old daughter, stated, “This law hurts those of us who aren’t wealthy but belong to families who get up and go to work every morning, who aren’t being treated as humans, but more like animals.”
Memorial Hermann can stop the 10-day countdown at any time. The hospital can reject the 10-Day Rule and let Carolyn live. They do not have to pull the plug against her family’s will on Monday. Texas Right to Life prays Memorial Hermann will do the right thing and allow the Jones family the needed time to transfer their beloved wife and mother.
Otherwise, Donald will stand powerless as he watches his wife of 40 years pass away prematurely – right after Mother’s Day – under the 10-Day Rule.
Vulnerable patients need your help to survive the deadly 10-Day Rule. They may have no fighting chance without you. Give today to the Texas Right to Life Family Assistance Fund to protect patients from death panels.
