Wednesday, September 13, 2000

Breaking story

Judge hears opinions on pulling man's feeding tube

By William C. Lhotka

Of the Post-Dispatch

A judge who will decide the fate of Steven G. Becker heard several hours of expert testimony Wednesday about the medical condition of the unresponsive patient at St. John's Mercy Medical Center.

St. Louis County Probate Judge Mark D. Seigel must decide whether Becker, 28, the father of three sons, should live or die.

Becker underwent surgery at the hospital in Creve Coeur on March 8 to relieve pressure on his brain and has never recovered. He breathes on his own but requires tubes to feed and hydrate him. He has waking and sleeping cycles, with his eyes open and closed, but does not respond.

James Wright Jr., Becker's court-appointed guardian, has recommended that the nutrition tubes be removed because Becker would have wanted such action to be taken to spare his family further grief.

The consensus of medical opinion, Wright said in a report last month to Seigel, is that Becker is in a persistent vegetative state and will never get better. But the medical experts aren't unanimous.

Seigel then scheduled hearings for Wednesday and today to hear medical testimony. He said he may hear more testimony later this month before making a decision.

The hearings are closed to the public. Only Becker's wife, Christie Blair-Becker, and his mother, Marge Sutter, were allowed in the courtroom, along with the attorneys for both sides.

Relatives of the family sat on a bench outside the courtroom along with activists who oppose the removal of feeding tubes.

In May, Blair-Becker decided to end the life of her husband of seven years after consulting with physicians and discussing options with the hospital's ethics committee.

Sutter then got a court order blocking the hospital from shutting down Becker's nutrition and hydration tubes. She believes there is a chance her only son could recover.

Missouri law requires a determination of what a patient would want before life support systems are removed. Becker had neither a living will nor a health directive.

"My job was to find out what Steve would have wanted," Wright said last month. "My conclusion was he would have wanted life support withdrawn. Given the extent of damage to his brain, he would not have wanted to be a burden on his family."

Reprinted with permission of author.

E-mail: blhotka@postnet.com