November 11th, 2008 // comments (Comments)

Sick British Girl Chooses To Die

LONDON (AP) — A 13-year-old British girl who has undergone nearly a dozen surgeries in her young life has refused a heart transplant operation — a decision that may ultimately lead to her death.

Hannah Jones, who was diagnosed with leukemia and later a heart condition, told her parents and medical authorities that she would rather spend her remaining time at home than in the hospital. Health authorities have ceded to the decision after interviewing the girl.

“I’ve been in hospital too much — I’ve had too much trauma,” Hannah Jones told Sky News on Tuesday. “I don’t want this, and it’s my choice not to have it.”

Hannah was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 4 years old. Chemotherapy put her into remission but doctors then discovered she had cardiomyopathy, a serious disease where the heart muscle becomes swollen and sometimes fails.

The girl’s story surfaced when parents complained about hospital officials who sent a social worker to interview the girl about her choice.

The family received a telephone call saying the hospital would take legal action if they didn’t bring Hannah to hospital, said her mother, Kirsty Jones.

Boy, for all this ‘Hope and Change‘ on the way, a lot of people sure do seem interested in killing themselves. First we had the assisted suicide proposition pass in Washington state, now we have a 13-year-old girl who is choosing to die to avoid a heart-transplant surgery. Her parents are throwing in the towel and she’s following suit. Can I blame a 13-year-old girl, who has spent a large portion of her life in and out of hospitals, for refusing a frightening surgery? No. But do we really want to extend this ridiculous right to die movement to cover kids?

In a letter to her family, Herefordshire Primary Care Trust said it had concluded it was “not appropriate” to seek a court order requiring Hannah to be admitted to hospital.

“No one can be forced to have a heart transplant,” it said in a statement.

Terry Schiavo, anyone?

According to experts, Young Hannah now has six months to live…

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