Teen Stays on Life Support ... for Now
Jan. 21, 2008 — -- The life of a comatose 16-year-old girl hangs in the balance after a court gave guardianship of her to her mother, who has said that she does not want the teen to be kept alive in her current condition.
The tragic saga of a comatose teenager whose parents are feuding over her fate continues despite a recent court decision in the case.
Javona Peters suffered irreparable brain damage three months ago during what doctors describe as a routine operation at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, leaving her in a permanent vegetative state.
Although she can breathe on her own, she is hooked up to feeding tubes, while her parents, who are estranged, debate over whether to keep her alive. The case bears similarities to that of Terri Schiavo, a politically charged drama that dragged on for seven years before Florida courts allowed her husband to have her life support removed.
On January 14, her mother, Janet Joseph, who has indicated a desire to cut off life support, was named the teen's guardian by a judge in Bronx Supreme Court.
That decision allows Joseph to pursue a medical malpractice suit against the hospital, but what it means for Peters' life is not clear.
In December, after learning about her daughter's condition Joseph told the New York Daily News: "I lost my only daughter. She was my life and now she's gone and I want her to go in peace." This week, however, Joseph's lawyers would not comment on whether she still favors cutting off life support for her daughter.
Javona Peters' father, Leonard Peters, does not want his daughter taken off life support, but his lawyer indicated this week that, for now at least, that is not an issue.
"She's living on feeding tubes and the question of about removal of life support has not arisen. It was early on but not at this present time," said Lucille M. Barbato.
A spokesman for Montefiore declined to comment.
Although Justice Stanley Green emphasized that his decision "has nothing to do with the continuation or discontinuation of life support," legal experts said they believe it may affect future decisions in the case.
