Woman Who Has Been in a Permanent Vegetative State (Following a Drowning) for 14 Years... Gives Birth

The staff did not notice the comatose woman was gaining weight and a distended belly just like a pregnant woman would. They didn't notice until she went into actual labor.

Obviously, there is an investigation on to find out who impregnated this comatose woman.

A woman who has been in a persistent vegetative state in a nursing facility, unable to communicate, for 14 years has given birth. The case has drawn attention to the frequency of sexual abuse of vulnerable people in facilities like this, and the failures of the system to protect them.

After a near drowning over a decade ago, a woman (whose name has not been released) has been in a persistent vegetative state at an Arizona facility run by Hacienda HealthCare. What must have long been a traumatic situation for her family became much worse when, on December 29, staff noticed her moaning, and on investigation found that she was in labor. The baby was born soon after and is reportedly healthy.

No one had previously recognized she was pregnant, which alone calls into question the quality of care she was receiving. Police are investigating how she became impregnated while clearly incapable of giving consent. In the meantime, the facility has adopted a policy that male staff cannot be in a room with female patients without an accompanying female employee.

In popular perception, people in persistent vegetative states have no knowledge of what is happening to them, but while they are are not properly aware of their surroundings, many can still respond to some degree to stimulation. The chance of recovery diminishes with time, but has been known to happen even after long periods.

As the moaning indicates, the abused woman was able to feel pain, possibly including the sexual abuse that initiated the pregnancy. At this stage, no one, other than the abuser, knows how often she was raped.

posted by Ace of Spades at 06:47 PM

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