A 29-year-old woman diagnosed with anorexia was on Monday granted the right to receive palliative care and starve to death, if she desires.
The New Jersey woman, known only as A.G., weighs 31 kilograms and has battled with the disorder for a majority of her life. When she was 13 she started purging, after years of comparing her body to those of her peers.
The controversial ruling comes after she spent more than two years in a psychiatric hospital, and was then transferred to temporary guardian Susan Joseph who was instructed to feed her artificially. A.G. gained approximately nine kilograms, but as a result of refeeding syndrome, she suffered heart failure, and ultimately pulled her feeding tube out herself. Since then, she’s consumed primarily diet soft drink and black coffee, as well as small bites of food.
Following A.G.’s heart failure, Joseph requested she be admitted into palliative care, but the state opposed it, arguing that her mental state rendered her unable to make her own medical decisions. Ceasing to force-feed her would be sanctioned suicide, they said.
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But in court earlier this month, her lawyer argued that while force-feeding would keep her alive, it wouldn’t treat her disorder. Likewise, her psychiatrist testified that to force-feed A.G., who has the bone density of a 92-year-old, would be “cruel and torturous at this point.” Her doctors reiterated this sentiment, claiming it’s highly unlikely the woman will ever recover.
A.G.’s family have also reportedly said they’ve done everything possible to help their daughter recover, including psychological and medical interventions. Her mother has accepted the decision for A.G. to refuse food, saying she hasn’t been able to “take the treatment and thrive” at any point during her long battle.