Texas Representative Garnet Coleman: Installed in Hall of Shame

I just did an entry on a new Texas futile care lawsuit involving a girl named Sabrina Murray who was apparently threatened with a futile care termination by a Houston hospital, resulting now in litigation. But I had to reserve this entry for a quote from the author of the futile care law, Garnet Coleman (D-Houston). Sabrina’s parents believe that the attempt to deny her care was part of a plan to cover up medical malpractice. Of course, I can’t take a position on that—although it is certainly not the first time such a scenario seemed possible—but this crass quote Coleman gave to the Houston Press about the matter:

State Representative Garnet Coleman, (D-Houston), who helped author the 1999 act, tends to agree with Fine. When asked if he thinks the law is sometimes used to bury malpractice, he says, “I would hope not, and that’s why we have autopsies. I don’t think that the law either encourages it and I don’t think that it discourages it. As long as you’ve had an autopsy, then you would find out what was the cause of death and whether there was a medical error.”

“That’s why we have autopsies:” I thought I had heard it all. Of course, the reason for the autopsy might be Coleman’s terrible law.