Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Brain-damaged woman 'can smile'

Wednesday 20 July 2011 19:00 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A woman with profound brain damage, whose family want her to be allowed to die, sometimes displays a "bit of a smile" when teased about men, the High Court was told by a carer yesterday.

The 51-year-old, who is "minimally conscious", also made a different sound if carers joked about a man being good looking, Mr Justice Baker heard. Relatives of the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, want the Court of Protection to order an end to her artificial feeding.

A lawyer appointed to represent her interests opposes the move, saying she "has signs of awareness". The case continues.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in