An Arizona woman who has been in a coma for the past 10 years recently gave birth to a child. This comatose woman could not have given consent. Disgustingly, she was raped while in a coma inside the nursing home.
Background of the Anonymous Resident
Out of respect for the victim and her family, news sources have not released the woman’s name. However, we do know that she was unfortunately left in a coma after a near-drowning incident about 14 years ago. After stabilizing in her vegetative state, the victim was admitted into Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix. She remained a long term care resident at Hacienda Healthcare.
Comatose Pregnancy
Staff at Hacienda claimed they were unaware the victim was pregnant until she went into labor on December 29, 2018. “From what I’ve been told she was moaning,” an unidentified whistleblower told KTVK. “And they didn’t know what was wrong with her.” The CEO of Hacienda resigned in the wake of this pregnancy and other disturbing reports of abuse inside the facility.
Luckily, the baby was born without major incident and is a healthy baby boy. The family reports that the child will be appropriately taken care of by responsible adults.
Investigation into Nursing Home Rape Cases
As nursing home abuse attorneys, we sadly see nursing home sexual assault cases regularly. We have handled cases ranging from digital penetration of female residents with an attacker’s finger to to intercourse without consent. In most cases we handle involving sexual abuse in elderly patients, the facts are similar to the ones we see here in the case against Hacienda Healthcare.
It is not that the victim resisted the attacker, it is that the victim was incapable of giving consent to engage in sexual acts. In the instant case against Hacienda Healthcare, the victim was in a coma. In elderly nursing home residents, the victim often suffers from dementia or Alzheimer’s and cannot knowingly consent to a sexual act. Regardless of the difference in cognition levels, rape is rape. Sexual abuse should never be tolerated.
“Opportunistic assailants are common, and we see them show up in all kinds of environments where there are inherent vulnerabilities,” said Kristen Houser, spokesperson for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. These opportunistic attackers sadly target the most vulnerable of victims. This often times means the frail, confused or unconscious inside America’s nursing homes, hospitals and healthcare facilities.
If your loved one was sexual abused, molested or raped inside a long-term care facility, let the specialized attorneys at Senior Justice Law Firm compassionately and aggressively advocate for you. Our firm practice areas focus on facility litigation matters.
Free Confidential Sex Abuse Case Consultation
Call us now for a completely free, totally confidential case consultation involving your loved one’s sexual assault while a patient inside a facility.
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