Texas Hospital Continues Push to Withdraw Care from 2-Year-old Girl Despite Her Improvements

Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas is seeking assistance from a state appeals court in their relentless pursuit to discontinue providing life-sustaining treatment to toddler Tinslee Lewis.

The two-year-old, who has been in the hospital since her premature birth, has a rare heart defect and suffers from chronic lung disease and severe chronic high blood pressure. Her family says her condition is improving, however, some doctors have indicated that Tinslee is suffering and she will not recover, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

CBN News previously reported the appeals court granted Tinslee emergency relief, meaning the hospital cannot stop her life support while the appeal is pending.  

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After receiving a letter from Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the appeals court agreed to delay an earlier judge's ruling that would have allowed doctors to stop life support for the girl, according to KTBC-TV in Austin.

Doctors at the hospital had originally planned to remove Tinslee from life support when she was 9-months-old under the Texas "10-day rule" which can be employed when a family disagrees with doctors who say life-sustaining treatment should be stopped. 

And the law stipulates that if the hospital's ethics committee agrees with doctors, treatment can be withdrawn after 10 days if a new provider can't be found to take the patient. 

Cook Children's filed an appeal last month asking the 48th District Court of Fort Worth to schedule a new court date to decide whether Tinslee should be removed from life support.

"This child should not be forced to endure this fate for months on end while this matter continues its creep through the legal system," the hospital's appeal reads.

But Tinslee's doctors have repeatedly told her mother, Trinity, that the young girl is doing better than they expected, according to the family's motion.

"She is not stiff. She is no longer nasally intubated," the court document reads. "She is pointing and communicating."

The hospital requested the court set a trial date for July 26, however, the family argued that won't provide enough time to bring their case to court. 

Attorneys for Tinslee and her mother filed paperwork asking for a January 2022 court date. 

"Tinslee's life is a miracle and she proves that every day! Look at this evidence and see for yourself how she is improving," said Texas Right to Life Director of Media and Communication. 

"Eighteen months after Cook Children’s Medical Center first tried to discontinue toddler Tinslee Lewis’ care, she is still living, growing, and, according to her mother, improving." @TheTexanNews https://t.co/Mx5aHpVpFn

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— Texas Right to Life (Text ProLife to 40237) (@TXRightToLife) May 10, 2021