Judge grants plea

Press, 2 September 1981, Page 9

Judge grants plea

NZPA Huntington, West Virginia A judge honoured. Golda Yoder’s last wish yesterday by ordering life-support systems disconnected from the terminally ill woman as soon as her doctor determines she is ‘’brain dead.” The case of the 76-year-old_ : widow had divided her family and placed Cabell County Circuit Judge D. Daugherty on the spot last week when she asked to be disconnected from the machines keeping her alive despite nearly constant pain. Doctors had said she is dying of incurable cirrhosis of the liver.

During a court . hearing yesterday. Mrs Yoder’s doctor, Donald Kiinestiver, received a message from the hospital that the woman’s condition had deteriorated rapidly. He passed a note to Judge Daugherty which said: "Pupils are dilated and fixed, this indicates brain death.’’ Six of Mrs Yoder's seven children had asked Judge Daugherty to reject their mother’s request and to order continued use of the life-support equipment. A daughter, Mary Fisher, had been the only one who supEorted her mother’s plea to e allowed to die on her own terms.

Judge Daugherty said that once the objecting children were informed of their mother's deteriorating condition. they agreed to withdraw their petition for a permanent injunction barring the hospital from disconnecting her. He said he was ordering that Mrs Yoder be taken off the machines and that the duty of the attending physicians should be simply to try and keep the patient as comfortable as possible. After rendering his decision. Judge Daugherty said he was probably more influenced by his visit with the woman than by the legal ramifications of her request to die, which she made in writing.