Annelise Camp, a 2-year-old girl whose parents sued to stop Texas Children’s Hospital from testing if she’s brain dead, died Monday after her breathing tube was removed.
In social media posts, Annelise’s family confirmed her death, ending a months-long legal dispute over whether hospitals need a family’s consent to test a patient for brain death. The New York Times first reported her death.
“Annelise is now with Jesus,” wrote her parents, Johnston Camp and Joy Camp, on the family’s GoFundMe page. “We pray that her legacy continues to inspire compassion, encourage meaningful change, and bring hope to families for years to come.”
Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, who has been in contact with Annelise’s father, said the family just told Annelise’s two siblings of her death.
“It’s been traumatic for the family,” said Toth in an interview with the Texas Tribune.
The Camps’ lawsuit, filed at the end of May, was part of a larger debate supported by anti-abortion advocates that challenged the use of brain death testing. The Camps had hoped that by preventing brain death testing and a determination of whether their daughter was brain dead, hospitals would be forced to keep Annelise on life-supporting services for as long as possible.
Under Texas law, brain death is the irreversible cessation of all brain function and hospitals are not required to obtain family consent before conducting the tests. Once a patient is declared brain dead, hospitals can withdraw life sustaining measures.
It is unclear why Annelise was extubated. According to a Facebook post from Steven Camp, her grandfather, Annelise passed shortly after the breathing tube was removed. The Camp family has not responded to requests for comment.
The family said in court filings that the testing conflicted with their religious beliefs. Texas Right to Life, who worked with the family, argued that a patient is alive as long as their heart is beating, even when breathing is sustained by a ventilator.
On Memorial Day, Annelise was pulled from a hotel swimming pool and taken to Texas Children’s Hospital, where she was placed on a ventilator. After three days, doctors said they had exhausted treatment options and recommended evaluating her for brain death to which her parents began legal action to block testing.
Annelise was transferred from Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston to Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, but was transferred back to a Texas hospital, Christus Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler, about a week ago, Toth said.
Toth hopes Annelise’s story will influence change by giving families in Texas and across the country more time on life-support services.
“Life is fragile, it shouldn’t be disposable,” Toth said.
Disclosure: Texas Children’s Hospital and The New York Times have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in The Texas Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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