A few months ago, I told you about “Baby Olivia*,” who suffered a brain injury when she was only two weeks old. Since then, we have been working with Olivia’s mom to fight for the infant’s life.
Doctors told Olivia’s mom her daughter would not survive and urged her to withdraw the baby’s ventilator. Olivia’s mother wanted to give her daughter a chance to improve, so a Life Legal affiliate attorney engaged with the hospital to make sure Olivia would continue to receive care.
Last week, Olivia was able to go home. However, after a few days, she needed to go back to the hospital for some short-term treatment. As soon as she returned to the hospital, a social worker, along with one of the doctors who had insisted that Baby Olivia should be taken off the ventilator called Child Protective Services, which took custody of Olivia over the weekend. Olivia’s mom hadn’t done anything wrong, but the doctor wanted to take another opportunity to try to deny Olivia care.
As it turns out, the doctor is a “passionate advocate” for organ donation.
Thankfully, the court sided with Olivia and ruled that her mother can continue to make health care decisions in keeping with Olivia’s best interests. It looks like Olivia will be returning home in the next few days.
Please pray for Baby Olivia’s continued recovery and for her safety from those who believe she should not be allowed to live. Please pray also for Olivia’s mother and the attorneys who are fighting at her side to protect Olivia.
*Name changed to protect the family’s privacy