Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 19, 1993 TAG: 9312190127
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A12 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: CHICAGO LENGTH: Short
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 Thursday.
"I am obviously disappointed, but we are still pursuing the case," Cook County Public Guardian Patrick Murphy said. "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 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 were remote.
"I'm disappointed that he continues to prolong this," Connell said.
The fetus is 1 1/2 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.
The mother-to-be, a 22-year-old Pentecostal Christian, has refused the operation on religious grounds. She's identified in court papers only as Mother Doe. - Associated Press
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.