Parents: Woman Who Gave Birth at Care Home 'Not in Coma'

'She is a beloved daughter, albeit with significant intellectual disabilities'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 23, 2019 3:03 AM CST
Updated Jan 23, 2019 6:39 AM CST
Parents: Woman Who Gave Birth at Care Home 'Not in Coma'
This Friday, Jan. 4, 2019 photo shows Hacienda HealthCare in Phoeni   (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

The parents of a woman who gave birth at a long-term care facility in Arizona last month have spoken out on their daughter's condition. The 29-year-old, described by authorities as being in a vegetative state, is "not in a coma," but has "significant intellectual disabilities as a result of seizures very early in her childhood," the parents said in a statement seen by People. She can't speak, they said, but can move her head and limbs. "The important thing is that she is a beloved daughter, albeit with significant intellectual disabilities," the parents said. "She has feelings, likes to be read to, enjoys soft music, and is capable of responding to people she is familiar with, especially family."

People classed as being in vegetative states are described by the Brain Foundation as being awake with no signs of awareness, NBC notes. The woman, who has been in the facility since she was a toddler, gave birth Dec. 29. Caregivers had not been aware she was pregnant. The case triggered a sexual abuse investigation. No arrests have been made, but police are seeking DNA from all male employees at the facility. Two doctors who cared for the woman are no longer at the Hacienda HealthCare facility, Fox reports. A spokesperson says one doctor resigned and the other was suspended. (Police have released a panic-stricken 911 call from the facility.)

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