Culture of Death Revisited

Mae Magouirk had a great family, a loving husband, a beloved son and many close family members. She watched the years pass as she worked as a secretary for a prominent Cancer Doctor. Her nephew said of his beloved aunt, "She devoted her whole life to helping those who heal others..."

She lived through many trials as her years progressed. She spent decades doing all she could to ease the pain of strangers who faced the loss of loved ones. Soon she faced those same trials when her husband and son passed on. She stood helplessly by while her world fell apart .

She soon turned 81, and like millions in America, she developed Glaucoma. Eye drops were administered to keep her eyes moist. Her granddaughter began helping take care of her. Going to the store to get groceries and run errands. Some in the family felt that Beth Gaddy (her 36 yr old grandchild, and an elementary teacher) was stealing from her. That, however, couldn't be proven and no legal action was taken.

Mae had other family members who loved her too. Her closest living next-of-kin, include a brother, Byron McLeod, 64, of Anniston, Ga.;a sister, Ruth Mullinax, 74, of Birmingham, Ala.; and a nephew mrs. Mullinax's son, Ken Mullinax.

A couple weeks ago Mae was admitted to a hospital in her hometown of LaGrange,Georgia. It seems she had a dissection of her aorta. A small slit in the heart artery. Not an aneurysm but a sort of crack in the tissue. It is treatable by many cardiologists who claim treatment can heal the dissection, restoring her quality of life. The doctors determined that it was severe and they put her in intensive care. She had no dementia and was lucid the entire time. Her granddaughter (Gatty) told the hospital that she had power of attorney and ordered a transfer to Hospice-LaGrange, a small 16 bed facility owned by the same family that owns the hospital.

Immediately Gaddy ordered the hospice to withhold all food and water!
"Grandmama is old and I think it is time she went home to Jesus," Gaddy told Magouirk's brother and nephew, McLeod and Ken Mullinax. "She has glaucoma and now this heart problem, and who would want to live with disabilities like these?"
Mae's attending cardiologist in LaGrange, Dr. James Brennan, and Dr. Raed Agel, a highly acclaimed cardiologist at University of Alabama-Birmingham Medical Center, determined that her aortic dissection is contained and not life-threatening !
Here comes the twists. Ken Mullinax (nephew) found out that Gaddy had lied to the Hospital and Hospice about the power of attorney. It seems she had only a financial power of attorney, not a medical power of attorney. It was further established that as her next-of -kin, Ruth Mullinax and her brother, A.B. McLeod, were entitled to make any and all decisions for Magouirk. With this great news Ruth immediately ordered an AG, or feeding tube inserted through the nose, to be installed. The hospice's in-house legal counsel, Carol Todd also had an IV started to hydrate her.
While her brother, McLeod, and nephew, Ken, where being stalled by the Hospice on April 1st signing papers to arrange an emergency air transport to University of Alabama-Birmingham medical Center, Gaddy was in a Troup county probate court having Judge Donald W. Boyd issue emergency guardianship to her. Under the terms of his ruling, Gaddy was granted temporary but full and absolute authority over Magouirk. Just hours after the tubes were inserted, Gaddy had them removed!
Judge Boyd has not made a final ruling in the case but is thought to favor giving permanent guardianship power to Gaddy. Mae has been without food and water for 12 days!
Ken has begged Gaddy to relinquish rights to him and his family.
"If she would just give us a chance to keep Aunt Mae alive, that's all we ask," he said. "They have a family and Beth is a teacher, and it was just getting to be a lot of trouble. But I'm the caregiver for my mom, and Aunt Mae could move in with us. We'll buy another house with a bedroom and we'll take care of her. She can move in with us once she can leave the hospital." Ken's mother recently had to be hospitalized in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit due to the strain of watching her sister being killed, he stands to lose his Mother and Aunt because of this.
Mae's vital signs are still good, but since admission to hospice she has not been lucid; "but who would be since nourishment and fluids have been denied since March 28," Mullinax remarked.
Another reason for her lack of consciousness in the Hospice is that she has been kept on morphine and ativan. Still another horror in the case is that Mae needs her eye drops to keep her eyes lubricated due to the glaucoma, she has been denied them since she began being starved and dehydrated two weeks ago! Ken says that her eyes are unable to open and she has gone blind because of it! "They haven't given her anything like that for two weeks," said Mullinax. "She can't produce tears."
Here is the kicker. Remember the Terri Schiavo case? What was said to be her biggest mistake? She did not have a living will. Well...... Mae Magouirk DOES HAVE A LIVING WILL. The starvation and dehydration is being done in defiance of Magouirk's specific wishes, which she described in the will, and without agreement of her closest living next-of-kin !!!!!!
Her will states specifically that fluids and nourishment were to be withheld only if she were either comatose or "in a vegetative state," and she is neither. Nor is she terminally ill, which is a requirement for admission to a hospice.
I told you in my posts about Terri that the precedence was being set that would allow for this kind of thing. I urged everyone to exchange their living will for an Advanced Directive. I made it clear that it is in the best interest of these entities involved to make it easy for people who would draw benefits from Social Security and Medicaid to be euthanised! It is vital to the solvency of these programs to reduce the number of beneficiaries. Euthanasia is the preferred tool of the factions promoting the 'Culture of Death'. We cannot let this stand! We must not tire in the fight against the legalization of euthanasia in America. We must speak out for those among us who cannot speak for themselves. Most of Mae's close relatives have lived to their nineties and even past 100 years of age. It is not unlikely that despite her ailments, Mrs.Magouirk could have 10 more years of life ahead of her. Who are we to determine against her stated will that she should die? It is God's job to be the arbior of life NOT THE COURTS!
Please use the links below to read more about this case and contact everyone involved to demand that Mae's life be spared!
Listen to Ken (nephew) interview

World Net Daily

Prolifeblogs

Glenn Beck

Granddaughter yanks grandma's feeding tube

Georgia Case Mirrors Schiavo Battle

Woman, 81, at center of feeding tube feud

Contact: Kenneth Mullinax Ph: 205-408-7598mailto: Mockingbird@compuhelp.net

the Hospice-LaGrange, (1510 Vernon Street, LaGrange “Troup County” Georgia, (706-845-3905) a subsidiary of the LaGrange Hospital in LaGrange Georgia.

Beth Gaddy (706-882-9124)

Mr. A. B. McLeod (Her Brother 256-236-1331) and Mrs. Lonnie Ruth Mullinax (Her sister 205-408-7598)

Carol Todd (706-882-1411)

cardiologist, Dr. James Brennan (706-812-4308) and Dr. Raed Aqel, (205-934-9999)

Probate Judge Donald Boyd (706) 883-1690)…Court CASE NUMBER: Estate 138-05

Attorney for saving Mae’s life: Jack Kirby, Kirby & Roberts, (706) 884-2992

-UPDATE-(3:00ET 4-9-05)

(Email to 'BlogsforTerri' )

THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF ALL OF THE FRIENDS OF TERRI, MY AUNT MAE MAGOUIRK HAS BEEN AIR LIFTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM MEDICAL CENTER ... and receiving IV fluids, nourishment and some of the finest medical care available in the United States! Praise be the name of the Lord GOD... Thanks to Terri's friends... It would NEVER ever have been possible without bloggers who love life , and the truth!! I am racing from my home to UAB now and will type a detailed update after I see my Aunt Mae! Thanks guys, your calls, emails, blogs and prayers did it ALL!!! I so love you guys!!!!!!!!!! Ken Mullinax, nephew of Mae

In a phone conversation Ken said:

IT IS NOT OVER YET - THE OPPOSITION IS STILL TRYING TO GET HER BACK TO THE HOSPICE - SO KEEP FIGHTING BLOGGERS AND READERS!

As of Sunday evening, we are awaiting more info from Judge Boyd. The difference in this case is that it is becoming evident that Judge Boyd is not dead set on starving Mae as Greer was with Terri. At least he is weighing the two sides before making a final ruling and has allowed her to be fed and hydrated until such ruling. Please keep a watch on the case. A good place to keep up with it ( since I will be working out of town on Monday) is http://hyscience.typepad.com/

Let us pray for the best and that Judge Boyd continue to handle this case with the best interest of Mae in mind.