{"id":246092,"date":"2021-06-03T19:10:38","date_gmt":"2021-06-04T00:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=246092"},"modified":"2021-06-03T19:12:14","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T00:12:14","slug":"wife-fights-husband-10-day-rule-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wife-fights-husband-10-day-rule-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas man, whose wife was fighting the state’s ’10-Day Rule’ to save his life, has died"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UPDATE 6\/3\/2021:\u00a0<\/strong>Bill Costea, whose wife Eugenia was given just 10 days to find him a new medical facility, died of natural causes over the weekend, according to Texas Right to Life<\/a>. He had been hospitalized for heart complications in April, and then in May, Baylor Scott and White hospital imposed Texas’ controversial and unethical 10-Day Rule, telling his wife they would remove life support in just 10 days. The deadline to find a different hospital to care for him was set for June 4.<\/p>\n

“Instead of allowing Eugenia the space and peace to be with her husband in his final days, the hospital imposed the 10-Day Rule, forcing Eugenia to seek legal help and spend her time arguing with hospital ethics committees,” said Texas Right to Life.<\/p>\n

The couple’s attorney, Emily Cook, said, “When a group of random men and women can strip away a wife’s medical decision-making power, with no findings from a court of law that she is incapable of exercising that authority, such a law clearly violates both hers and Bill\u2019s due process rights. Bill wanted his wife to make his medical decisions, that’s why he executed a medical power of attorney. Texans are rightly alarmed that hospitals and physicians allegedly have this power.”<\/p>\n

5\/28\/2021:<\/strong> A hospital in Texas has enacted the state’s controversial 10-Day Rule<\/a> in the case of a man who is awake, responsive, and reports no pain. Under the rule, a hospital can withdraw life support from a patient if that patient’s family cannot find another facility to transport the patient to within 10 days. In this case, the hospital has stated it will also remove food and water from the patient.<\/p>\n

According to Texas Right to Life<\/a>, on Tuesday, Eugenia Costea was informed by Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Texas, that it will remove treatments from her husband Bill if she doesn’t find a new facility to take him within 10 days. Bill, though currently on a ventilator, is awake, can communicate, and follows commands. The hospital, however, believes he only has weeks to live and appears to be attempting to hasten Bill’s death by removing the ventilator along with his blood pressure medication and nutrition.<\/p>\n