[caption id="attachment_77965" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Marlise Munoz (top right) on a ventilator at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. (CBS 11 News Dallas)
[/caption]Pregnant Woman Taken Off Of Life Support

A pregnant woman that was ruled brain-dead by the courts has been taken off of life support; the pregnant woman was taken off of life support against her family's wishes. The woman, Marlise Munoz, was about five months pregnant.

Judge R.H. Wallace ruled that Marlise was technically deceased; therefore, she was exempt from the Texas state law which prohibits pregnant women from being denied treatment. On Sunday, she was officially taken off of life support.

The hospital released a statement saying that it had kept Marlise alive to adhere to state law. After the court ordered her off of life support, the hospital decided to follow the court's orders. The case has garnered attention from people concerned about end-of-life care; people who oppose the court's decision believe that women should be kept alive for the fetus. The case has also sparked debate among anti-abortionists who believe that Munoz should have been kept alive until the fetus was born.

Marlise was found by her husband on Nov. 26; doctors believe she has a blood clot. Her husband said that she had requested to be taken off of life support if she was ever found in her present condition; she did not want to be kept alive artificially.

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