Steffen and his mother Patricia, who isn’t ready to say, “Good-bye.” Photo provided by the family.
by Health Impact News/MedicalKidnap.com Staff
After a long day in court, the Rivenburg family did not get the news they wanted to hear about Baby Steffen.
Last week, a judge approved a temporary injunction to keep the 7 month old baby from being taken off life support.
On Monday afternoon, Judge Wayne Shelton ruled that Baby Steffen’s mother does not have the right to make the decision of whether or not to take him off of life support, and he denied the request to extend the injunction.
The family has a short 24 hour, up to 48 hour, window to find a pediatric cardiologist in the South willing to testify that the baby is eligible for a heart transplant and would survive it.
Unless they find such an expert, Vanderbilt doctors, not the parents, will decide when to take Baby Steffen off of the life support machine that is keeping him alive at this time.
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The family is shocked and devastated. No one in the family or in their close circle of friends and supporters expected this verdict. They told Health Impact News that they fully expected that the judge would rule to give the baby a chance to live.
Some family members told us that they are praying for a miracle, and just want Steffen to have more time to heal from the infection and multiple heart surgeries that doctors performed in a short period of time.
While supporters and extended family rallied and prayed outside the Montgomery County Courthouse, the judge heard testimony from social workers, the GAL, and a doctor from the Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, as well as the parents and grandmother.
Supporters rallied and prayed outside the courthouse. Photo provided by Lydia Hubbell.
Should Only Medical Factors be Considered in Timing to End Life?
Dr. Harold Andrew Smith reportedly told the judge that Baby Steffen “can be aroused,” but that he has no chance of surviving a heart transplant. This, despite the fact that the baby is responsive and alert when he is allowed to come out of heavy sedation. (See video.)
A child’s Guardian ad litem (GAL) is supposed to represent “the best interest of the child” in the recommendations to the judge. Baby Steffen’s GAL reportedly suggested that the people involved in his life needed to consider his “quality of life.” Based on her assessment of such, she recommended that he be removed from life support.
If the family is not able to provide an expert quickly, then the final decision as to Baby’s Steffen’s fate will now be allowed to be made by Vanderbilt doctors. Even if the parents refuse to consent to their son being taken off the machine, the judge’s ruling means that doctors can override their decision.
Judge Shelton’s game changing ruling means that the doctors have been awarded the right to decide when the baby’s life ends.
Based on the evidence of the baby’s cognizance and intentional responses, the family argues that taking him off of life support amounts to murder. They understand that, unless there is a miracle or a heart transplant, Baby Steffen likely does not have long to live, but they want the timing to be God’s decision, not that of Vanderbilt doctors.
Baby Steffen is fighting for his life, and his family is not ready to give up on him. Photo screenshot from video taken 6/3 by Lisa Rivenburg.
Are Civil Rights Issues Being Considered?
Perhaps lost in all the medical discussions about Baby Steffen’s welfare are the civil rights issues in this case, which makes this case different than strictly a medical case where only medical facts should be considered.
According to the family, there were never any legal reasons for the State of Tennessee, through DCS, to take Baby Steffen away from them. The child was not sick or in imminent danger when he was removed from the custody of his family.
All of the medical problems that led to multiple surgeries allegedly happened while the child was in foster care, under the custody of the state.
WSMV Channel 4 of Nashville reports that Vanderbilt released a statement about the judge’s decision:
We are gratified that the Court recognized that the medical professionals on the treatment team should be allowed to make the decisions that they believe, in their professional clinical judgment, are in this child’s best interests. It has been and has remains [sic] our desire to do so in collaboration with the child’s parents.
The parents don’t feel collaborated with. They are broken-hearted by the decision, and they remain skeptical of the decision-making responsibility being left with the very doctors who admitted to them that they “messed up.” They are quick to point out that their baby was not sick when he went into DCS custody. He had congenital heart defects, but there were no immediate problems, and no infection.
Several family members and supporters have suggested that Vanderbilt is trying to cover something up by “pulling the plug” on Steffen. There were many questions outside the courtroom concerning the motives of DCS and the hospital for their actions, considering the facts that the baby was not sick when he was taken from his family, and that doctors reportedly apologized recently to the family, saying that they had “messed up” by doing so many surgeries so closely together.
Given the civil rights implications here, with potential civil rights abuse against the baby and his family by DCS and Vanderbilt hospital, was the appropriate action made to remove life support when the parents were notified of such action the day before this action was to occur, on Memorial Day, a holiday when no court was in session to hear an appeal?
As we reported in an update on our original story last Tuesday, a family member present in the room reported that the hospital:
“clamped” the machine, but he didn’t do well, so they hooked him back up.
During the time this was going on, the parents were hastily trying to get a court order to stop the hospital from taking him off of life support, and were only able to do so in the afternoon that day.
If indeed Baby Steffen is dying through no fault or action of the parents, but as a result of civil rights abuse by both Tennessee DCS and Vanderbilt Hospital, is the judge making the right decision to only give the parents 24 hours notice to try and find their own doctor who might be willing to do a heart transplant?
How You Can Help
Supporters have set up a Facebook page for the family called Reunite the Rivenburgs.
Baby Steffen’s big sister Annalise also remains in foster care. The family’s next hearing on their case is scheduled for June 19. They plan to appeal Judge Shelton’s ruling.
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam may be reached at (615) 741-2001, or contacted here, to ask that life support be continued for Steffen Rivenburg Jr., to give him a chance to live. Governor Haslam is also on Facebook.
The Senator for their district is Dr. Mark Green. He may be reached at (615) 741-2374, or contacted here.
Their state Representative is Representative Joe Pitts. He may be reached at (615) 741-2043, or contacted here.
The DCS main office number is (615) 741-9701. Supervisor Heather Wyatt’s office phone is (931) 503-3253.
To reach the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, call this public, non emergency number:
Patient Relations: (615) 322-6154
For assistance, non-medical questions or complaints. This line is open every day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. If you are calling outside of these hours, listen to the recorded message carefully. Press zero for the Vanderbilt operator and request the Children’s Hospital Administrator on call.
Comment on this article at MedicalKidnap.com.
Other Medical Kidnap stories involving Vanderbilt Hospital:
Tennessee Mom Gives Birth to Premature Twins 3 Times – Surviving Babies Medically Kidnapped for Research?
Kentucky Family Falsely Accused of Child Abuse – Children Medically Kidnapped to Cover Corruption
1-Hour Old Newborn Baby Kidnapped at Kentucky Hospital because Parents Refused to Take Parenting Classes
Baby Found with Broken Bones – Parents Assumed Guilty of Abuse and Lose Custody
Tennessee Children with Brittle Bones Suffer in State Care as Mom Charged with SBS
Kentucky Baby Medically Kidnapped Along with Siblings and Forced on to Formula
Kentucky Family Falsely Accused of Child Abuse – Children Medically Kidnapped to Cover Corruption
Disabled Father Denied by State of Tennessee to Father his Own Child
See more about Child Abuse Specialists:
Are New Pediatric “Child Abuse Specialists” Causing an Increase in Medical Kidnappings?
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