A judge ordered life support removed Friday from a 5-month-old Indianapolis boy with a severe head injury that investigators say was caused by abuse.
The Marion County Department of Child Services requested the removal of the ventilator that is keeping Hamad Elijah Sanda alive. The agency took custody of the baby Sept. 26, four days after he was brought to the Methodist Hospital emergency room with a skull fracture and brain injury.
Citing the boy's grave condition and testimony from medical experts who said there was nothing more they could do, Superior Court Judge Marilyn Moores issued the order over the objections of Hamad's mother, Tiwanna Sanda. The judge also issued a "do not resuscitate" order.
Sanda, 30, who attended the hearing without an attorney, declined to comment after the judge's ruling.
At the hearing, she said she opposed taking the baby off life support. "That is no decision any mother can make," Sanda said.
Medical ethics experts and right-to-life advocates say such decisions are difficult and should be made only as a last resort.
Moores said it was up to hospital officials to determine when to remove Hamad from the ventilator. Medical personnel will continue to provide water or nutritional support to the baby through a feeding tube.
Indianapolis Star
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