Father beats child into coma, wants control of her right to live.

[masamuneehs]

" Lawyers for the stepfather of an 11-year-old girl tried to convince Massachusetts' highest court on Tuesday that he should have a say on whether his stepdaughter is removed from life support. If the girl dies, he could face a murder charge for allegedly taking part in the beating that left her comatose. "
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories...onal/main1100736.shtml (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/06/national/main1100736.shtml)


The lawyers for this man are absolutley 100% correct.
Under law, until proven guilty of the crime of beating her into that coma (or until such time as he is proven guilty of comitting a trespass sufficient enough for him to lose custody of the child) he is innocent. He thus retains all legal rights that a father-by-marriage has over their minor.

HOWEVER, I personally believe that:
Whether or not he is her stepfather or not, he should have lost possession (and therby lose all legal command over her person, property and life) because he is a suspect in the crime IF possession of the child is in any way in issue in the outcome of the trial. If not...

well, it makes me sick to say it... They're right, that's the law. But is it justice? I can't help but wonder if the laws must be changed pertaining to this...

EDIT: Other news sources, for variety's sake:
Guardian-UK - http://www.guardian.co.uk/worl...,1280,-5461274,00.html (http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5461274,00.html)
New York Times- http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/06/national/06coma.html
ABC News - http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1379494

[darkmetal505]

thats sick...

[XanBcoo]

This made me think of Terri Schiavo immediately. Even though the stepfather is asking to keep her alive (to cover his ass), the whole "who should decide" ordeal is very similar. I think it's pretty disgusting that the lawyers are arguing for the overturning of the court's decision by saying "There should always be someone who will argue for life." as if they have some benevolent reason to keep the girl alive.

I agree, the stepfather should have no say.

Also, this part was rather depressing, but helped me get a better grasp of the situation (as I am inclined to beleive someone should be kept alive at all costs):


"This is not about the right to life," Peel said. "This is about the circumstance under which this person is allowed to die."

[Mite Gai]

Yeah, this is pretty terrible that the father should even consider himself eligible after such a terrible deed and that the law supports it though I believe that if she is in a Permenant Vegetative State then she should not be kept alive on the reasoning that the torture of staying like that for a lifetime would be far greater than dying though that is IMO.

[Uchiha Barles]

I don't know too much about laws, but I'm almost positive that there are laws that would allow the prevention of anything irreversible while the trial is occuring. Whatever the legal argument, theres most likely a legal way to prevent him from using his rights before the trial is concluded. I don't claim to know the way though.

[EpyonNext]

If I met this motherfucker, I'd revoke his right to live. This kind of stuff is bullshit.

[Carnage]

They should beat him into a coma,.................wait, no. They should send him to prison to be ass raped and THEN beat him into a coma.

The law should change. Anyone with common sense will want to beat this fucker to the brink of death. If he gets out of this as the winner, then this law is for retards.

Edit: doesnt anyone think that beating your child into a coma is child abuse???? Anyone??

[aznimperialx]

what a fucker...

[The Heretic Azazel]

Considering she was so fucked up on another trip to the hospital and THEN sent right back with her parents... the system sucks.

[Carnage]

Who decides what happenes to the man? the jury? I wish i could join the jury. If they vote him innocent or allow him to choose to puther to death, then the people of this country are also fucked up. (this is all only according to if the jury is made up of citizens)

[KoKo37]

Haleigh Poutre was hospitalized in September after her stepfather and adoptive mother kicked her and beat her nearly to death with a baseball bat.

ok, this is just sick. do these people honestly believe that they derserve a say weather or not she should live? i mean wtf they tried to kill her basicly, these people should be thrown into jail for life. i dont usally look much into laws because it doesn't really interest me, but the fact that the law is in there favour is just sick and wrong imo -.-

personly about her being able to live or not, i would say give her a few years, if she has no signs of recovering of that, then i suppose death would be better then a life time of living in a vegetable state like "Mite Gai" said

[Carnage]

Pretty much what Koko said. But can someone plz explain to me why the parents arent being charged at all for beatin a child with a baseball bat? Maybe someone studying law can help explain it.i/expressions/rolleye.gif

[Uchiha Barles]

Huh, ok, we should all go and read this article more carefully. Its not as outrageous as it seems (in a sense). The man beat his daughter 99 hundreths way to death, and now the state has custody and decides to take her off of life support. He will face murder charges if she dies. So he wants to have a say in whether or not she gets taken off of life support to KEEP HER ALIVE. Clearly, he's trying to avoid the murder charges. It all makes sense now, after reading the fucking article (I'm an idiot for not doing that in the first place).

Edit to below: Yeah, its sick. But the point I was trying to make is that now, at least it makes sense. He's no less a of a crook and still needs his balls smacked so hard that they pop out of his eye sockets, but yeah, makes sense.

[Giboc]

Originally posted by: Uchiha Barles
Clearly, he's trying to avoid the murder charges. It all makes sense now, after reading the fucking article (I'm an idiot for not doing that in the place).

It's still fucking sick. He deserves to be put tried for murder. He has effectively ended her life. Goddamn *insert long string of expletives* should be sent to jail for the rest of lives, where he receives daily dose of beatings and anal rape.

[Carnage]

Oh, nobody ever actually reads the articlei/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif
But still, noone as explained why this man isnt immediatly sent to jail for eternal ass rape. Really, there shouldnt even be a trial. What the fuck could the 11 year old girl possibly have done to deserve to be beaten nearly to death? Honestly, its a waste of time for a trial. Just send the man to torture *ahem* i mean prison already.

[masamuneehs]

Yes, for the love of god people do read the news article before you throw in your two cents. it just makes you sound foolish.

The problem I am having here is this: How come the state has custody of the girl, and not one of her relatives?
Surely, even if she's from a poor family, someone will have to care enough about her to keep her on life support for as long as they can (ie. until they find out if she'll ever pull out of the coma or not) ... and if there isn't anyone for that girl... man that just makes me want to cry.

[Uchiha Barles]

Well, its not really hard to try and figure this one out. The mother abandons her daughter, most probably in favor to move far away with her new boyfriend, and leaves the daughter in the hands of her sister, who then, along with the man she chose to marry, beats her almost to death. Clearly, something went wrong in the upbring of the two. The mother is unfit. I'm not surprised at all that this girl had no one to turn to. Whats really sad is that because of the people raising her, her future was bleak anyway.

[DB_Hunter]

Attacked girl, 11, allowed to die (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1990899,00.html)

[aznimperialx]

WHY THE FUCK IS CHILD ABUSE SO FUCKING HIGH

[masamuneehs]

Originally posted by: DB_Hunter
Attacked girl, 11, allowed to die (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1990899,00.html)

...ugh... Can't believe I had to go and mark this as "the answer" to the topic...
makes me sick.

although, i guess if the doctors' honest opinions were that she couldn't be saved then at least the bastard gets the charges he deserves. However, if the state is removing her because there's nobody around to pay the medical bills... well then i am really, thoroughly disgusted...

[Hakeem_21]

According to the artical the doctors said she could live max two months on life support so there isnt a hope for her.

I really hope this son of a ****** gets his punishment. Normaly im not pro or against death penalty but this one doesnt deserve to live.

[Aramis]

it's actually possible for this sort of "vegetables" to live on for years with life support, but these days they aren't kept alive even if their relatives demand it.
at least i believe so...with modern equipment you can clearly determine if a comatose patient has any chance for recovery. and in most countries it's not considered murder to remove them from life support and let them wither to death.

[Hakeem_21]

They know for sure that she wont ever wake up,so i say let her rest in peace instead being stuck in a shell forever.

[Xollence]

A lot of times these doctors are wrong, especially when it comes to giving an amount of time to live.

[Carnage]

What he^^^^ said. Atleast now she can go to a better place and leave this world filled with pitiful people. Once again, I dont think the dad should die, I think he should be sent to an eternity of anal rape (prison). I'm dead serious, this guy doesnt deserve the easy way out.

[Carnage]

What he^^^^ said. Atleast now she can go to a better place and leave this world filled with pitiful people. Once again, I dont think the dad should die, I think he should be sent to an eternity of anal rape (prison). I'm dead serious, this guy doesnt deserve the easy way out.

Edit: srry about the double post.

[Hakeem_21]

Originally posted by: Xollence
A lot of times these doctors are wrong, especially when it comes to giving an amount of time to live.

That is if you call it a living when you can never wake up,only sleep.

In a word you are death,but this death you wont wake up in another place.

[Uchiha Barles]

That was a pretty sucky story. Well, now the only think left to do watch the person responsible for this, the live one anyway, suffer as much as possible before a miserable, lonely, and hopefully, painful death.

[Hakeem_21]

Yeah thats the only good thing about this story,he cant escape his faith now.

[Xollence]

He should be punished, but I don't think killing him will do anything to make the situation any better.

[Sapphire]

Makes me wonder what the hell happened, for a child to recieve such a "punishment".

[DB_Hunter]

Is it it murder though? Me and my friends were discussing the issue of medical ethics the other day. It was interesting, reaching a decision on something like with the limited budget you have for the health service in a hospital should you perform 50 hip replacement ops for 80 year olds or 10 heart transplants for 50 year olds? We all agreed that it is the responsibility of the State to look after its citizens and that all have the right to treatment, but then how does one balance that with the reality of limited resources?

Though this girl was comatose, being strictly technical she is only going to die because of the life support machines being disconnected from her. Her step-father managed to beat her to a vegetative state, and did not kill her.

Should he be tried for manslaughter? Attempted muder? Murder? Gross negligance? Child cruelty?

On another note, has the father actually been examined for being mentally unwell? The fact that his wife did suicide means she must have felt her life was truly screwed up and that she couldn't face its challenges anymore. I was just trying to think of why someone would do such a thing to a little girl, and insanity came to mind....

If the guy wan't insane, then he should really get his ass kicked some way or another. Depending on the charge, I think capital punishment should not be ruled out. He snuffed out a life, he deserves his reward.

[Mr Squiggles]

He deserves to revert to his child-hood body, and then be locked up in MJ's room. IMO, he should be tried for manslaughter (Although that probably wont happen). Putting someone in a permanant vegetative state is just as bad if not worse than killing them.

[The Heretic Azazel]

I think he should get the head-on-a-stick treatment myself... you Vietnam War buffs and people who watched Wolf Creek know what I mean!!

[Uchiha Barles]

Originally posted by: DB_Hunter
Is it it murder though? Me and my friends were discussing the issue of medical ethics the other day. It was interesting, reaching a decision on something like with the limited budget you have for the health service in a hospital should you perform 50 hip replacement ops for 80 year olds or 10 heart transplants for 50 year olds? We all agreed that it is the responsibility of the State to look after its citizens and that all have the right to treatment, but then how does one balance that with the reality of limited resources?

Though this girl was comatose, being strictly technical she is only going to die because of the life support machines being disconnected from her. Her step-father managed to beat her to a vegetative state, and did not kill her.

Should he be tried for manslaughter? Attempted muder? Murder? Gross negligance? Child cruelty?

On another note, has the father actually been examined for being mentally unwell? The fact that his wife did suicide means she must have felt her life was truly screwed up and that she couldn't face its challenges anymore. I was just trying to think of why someone would do such a thing to a little girl, and insanity came to mind....

If the guy wan't insane, then he should really get his ass kicked some way or another. Depending on the charge, I think capital punishment should not be ruled out. He snuffed out a life, he deserves his reward.

Is what he did murder? I'm not sure myself, but I am sure of one thing: he deserves the worst he can get. Forget definitions. This was clearly an act of utter brutality to someone who couldn't possibly deserve it unless she was that kid from Omen. Technically, she'll be dead if she's taken off of life support, and the bat wasn't the direct cause of death, but the bat was the direct cause of putting her in an irreversible vegetative state which the girl does not have the financial resources to support, prompting the state to remove the life support. I don't see even a remote ethical ambiguity here.

[DB_Hunter]

Interesting viewpoint. So you are saying that even though the hospital has the power to keep her alive, by it turning the machines off is not unethical because her quality of life has diminshed to such an extent that it isn't worth living. And the blame for that lies with the step father. I havn't read up on this but is she permanantly a vegetable or is there a remote chance of her recovering?

[Xollence]

Well who's to decide what the minimum quality of life should be. If it were me I'd still prefer to remain on the machine. You never know, they might find a way to cure her state in the future.

[ImitationSanen]

Originally posted by: EpyonNext
If I met this motherfucker, I'd revoke his right to live. This kind of stuff is bullshit.

Yeah, although I feel extremely bad if the guy really didnt do it. But well.. *sigh* this is why I hate working in the legal field.

I took an oath to uphold the law, I didnt see anything about justice in that oath it seems like. Most the time the only thing blind about justice is its blindness to common sense

[Uchiha Barles]

Originally posted by: DB_Hunter
Interesting viewpoint. So you are saying that even though the hospital has the power to keep her alive, by it turning the machines off is not unethical because her quality of life has diminshed to such an extent that it isn't worth living. And the blame for that lies with the step father. I havn't read up on this but is she permanantly a vegetable or is there a remote chance of her recovering?

That's what I'm saying, sort of. Like Xollence said, its not their decision to decide if its worth her living or not, but it is their decision to decide if its worth them supporting her. If she could pay for it, then they might've let her stay in that state. But right now, she doesn't know that she's in that state, is in no condition to voice any opinions, and no matter what others decide to do with her, she will not know so long as she's in that condition. The doctors determined that it is unlikely that she will ever return to a condition where she will know. Considering what I've just said, I can't place the blame on the hospital.

[Hakeem_21]

Originally posted by: DB_Hunter
Is it it murder though? Me and my friends were discussing the issue of medical ethics the other day. It was interesting, reaching a decision on something like with the limited budget you have for the health service in a hospital should you perform 50 hip replacement ops for 80 year olds or 10 heart transplants for 50 year olds? We all agreed that it is the responsibility of the State to look after its citizens and that all have the right to treatment, but then how does one balance that with the reality of limited resources?

Though this girl was comatose, being strictly technical she is only going to die because of the life support machines being disconnected from her. Her step-father managed to beat her to a vegetative state, and did not kill her.

Should he be tried for manslaughter? Attempted muder? Murder? Gross negligance? Child cruelty?

On another note, has the father actually been examined for being mentally unwell? The fact that his wife did suicide means she must have felt her life was truly screwed up and that she couldn't face its challenges anymore. I was just trying to think of why someone would do such a thing to a little girl, and insanity came to mind....

If the guy wan't insane, then he should really get his ass kicked some way or another. Depending on the charge, I think capital punishment should not be ruled out. He snuffed out a life, he deserves his reward.


If you beat a little kid with a basebal bat and kick her almost to death then it must be attempted murder.

Its not like he was thinking she is made of steel,she wont die of this.




I dont know what the court will give him but thats what it is in my eyes.

[XanBcoo]

So does anyone know what charges Strickland is now facing? I think of it as murder myself. He put her into a situation that she was deemed unable to recover from, and she died as a result of that. Like Uchiha Barles said, you can't put the blame on the hospital in this situation, so I think Strickland should receive total responsibility for his actions.

[masamuneehs]

Well, just when I thought this case was over...

Comatose Girl Respons to Stimuli (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4627248.stm)

And therefore...
Doctors say new tests are needed (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/19/national/main1219803.shtml)

...even if the girl pulls through that man should be charged for murder. Seriously, they were just about to pull her off support and then it would have been Murder. However, at this point I believe the medical treatment given to her is what's kept her alive, not the less intense severity of the beating (as the defense lawyer will doubtlessly try to assert)

[Hakeem_21]

Yeah still its murder i hope the court sees that.

[Xollence]

I think defense lawyers that represent scum like this are much worse. They know that their clients did it and still try to get them off clean.

[Hakeem_21]

There are scum like that everywhere.

[Carnage]

Originally posted by: Xollence
I think defense lawyers that represent scum like this are much worse. They know that their clients did it and still try to get them off clean.

I think their equally bad. Anyway, I sure do hope this guy gets a life sentence in prison. Thatll teach himi/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif

[Ero-Fan]

Originally posted by: God#2


Originally posted by: Xollence
I think defense lawyers that represent scum like this are much worse. They know that their clients did it and still try to get them off clean.

I think their equally bad. Anyway, I sure do hope this guy gets a life sentence in prison. Thatll teach him

Its a dirty job, but someone has to represent these scumbags. Hopefully, they get paid alot to do it and lose. Then its a win-win situation. (cept for the scumbag, but who gives a fuck about him/her anyways?)