A TEXAS hospital has been ordered keep an 11-month-old baby on life support after a judge ruled to end her life-sustaining treatment.
Tinlsee Lewis was meant to be taken off life support earlier this week after doctors said she was in pain and would not get better in Fort Worth.
The Second Court of Appeals ordered Cook's Medical Center to not turn off the machines until it makes a final ruling on the case.
On Thursday, mom Trinity Lewis' request to stop the hospital from removing Tinslee's life support was denied by a judge.
Chief Judge Sandee Marion reviewed the case and sided with a hospital's plans to remove Tinslee Lewis from life support.
Doctors had planned to remove the baby from life support on November 10 after invoking Texas' "10-day rule", which is used when a family disagrees with doctors who say treatment to keep a child alive should be stopped.
The law says if the hospital's ethics committee agrees with doctors then treatment can be withdrawn after 10 days unless a new hospital takes the patient.
The hospital said it tried to find another facility after contacting more than 20, but were unsuccessful.
FIGHTING CHANCE
Kimberlyn Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion group Texas Right to Life advocating for Tinslee, said her organization was “grateful and relieved” the appeals court granted the emergency stay.
She said the corut's decision would help buy Tinslee more time to find doctors and hospital that may be able to treat her.
Schwartz said told reporters: "This gives us so much hope for Tinslee. This is a prayer answered.”
In February, Tinslee was born prematurely with a rare and uncurable heart defect called Ebstein’s anomaly and has been confined to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth ever since.
Back in July, she suffered a respiratory arrest and has been hooked up to a machine which replaces the function of her heart and lungs, as well as being on a ventilator.
Tinslee also has developed severe pulmonary hypertension and her conditions will not improve, medical experts say.
The hospital told The Sun Online earlier this week that Tinslee should "pass naturally and peacefully rather than artificially kept alive by painful treatments."
Tinslee had to be medically paralyzed to avoid further deterioration of her condition, the hospital explained.
Trinity had testified in a hearing last month that despite her daughter's sedation she could tell there were things Tinslee liked and didn't like.
She described her baby as "sassy" and that she likes to have her nails painted, but doesn't like getting her hair brushed.
Trinity had said: "I want to be the one to make the decision for her."
Dr. Jay Duncan, one of Tinslee’s physicians, also testified at the time that the baby is in pain and that treatment was no longer benefiting her.
State Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement of support on Friday: "I will continue to fight for Tinslee and my office will continue to use all necessary resources to ensure that she will not be deprived of her right to live."
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