Two new videos hav been released of Jahi McMath, the teenage girl who was declared brain dead in December of 2013 after a complication arose from what should have been a routine surgery. The videos were uploaded to YouTube yesterday, by the attorney for the family.
In the controversial videos, the teen appears to move her foot and arm, purportedly in response to requests from her mother. It’s raising cried of miracle from one group of viewers, and abuse from another.
Christopher Dolan, the attorney for Jahi McMath’s family, is touting the videos as evidence that the young girl is healing, and calling for a reversal of the decision to declare her brain dead. He further claims that tests have shown brain activity, including blood flow and electrical activity.
Meanwhile, according to NBC, an ex-spokesperson Sam Singer has spoken out against the action, calling it ‘the cruelest publicity stunt of all time’ and suggesting that the timing is deliberate, intended to spur votes in favor of a measure that would more than quadruple the amount of money that could be received by a plaintiff in a malpractice lawsuit. He noted that Dolan has supported the measure financially.
Clearly, in such a case, a lawyer representing the plaintiff could benefit as well. Still, Dolan maintains that the case isn’t about money, and he has not filed a lawsuit against the hospital.
After Jahi was declared brain dead in December, Dolan helped the family fight to move her and keep her attached to life support systems. She was moved first to a Catholic hospital, and then, more recently, to a private home in New Jersey, where the McMath family continues to maintain the feeding tubes and breathing apparatus.
The Jahi McMath case has been raising debate on brain death and whether it is reversible for almost ten months, though most medical professionals maintain that true brain death can never heal, and is, for all intents and purposes, death.
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