The U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday refused a public guardian's request to order a hearing in the case of a woman who refuses to get the Caesarean section doctors say is needed to save her fetus.
The high court refused to order Cook County Circuit Court to hold an immediate hearing to balance the rights of the mother and the fetus. The Illinois Supreme Court had refused to enter the dispute on Thursday."I am obviously disappointed, but we are still pursuing the case," Cook County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy said it a news conference. "The Supreme Court can still take the case, but that decision would be months away and obviously would not help my client."
Murphy said he would pursue the matter in hopes of obtaining a precedent for similar future cases and because he considers it his duty to do so.
Colleen Connell, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which represents the expectant mother, said Murphy's chances of succeeding are remote.
The fetus is 11/2 weeks away from its due date. Doctors say it is getting insufficient oxygen in the womb and must be immediately delivered by Caesarean section in order to be born healthy.