Protests planned at Fort Worth hospital if girl taken from life support

An activist and a group supporting the family of Payton Summons have threatened protests at a Fort Worth hospital if officials remove a 9-year-old girl from life support.

The Rev. Jeff Hood told reporters Wednesday morning in front of Cook Children’s Medical Center that the protests would include sit-ins and boycotts against the hospital where Payton Summons remains after doctors pronounced her brain dead.

Hospital officials said Wednesday they could no longer comment on Payton’s condition because her family had revoked their consent on speaking about her.

“We’re disappointed that the family has revoked their authorization because we believe that accurate information facilitates fair, balanced and informed reporting,” according to a statement released Wednesday by the hospital. “While we don’t understand why the family has taken this action, we will respect their right to privacy as we do for all our patients.”

Hood who went to the news conference with his 3-year-old daughter, Madeleine, said he and members of Next Generation Action Network would not interfere with the care of sick children in their protests

“If and when we do protest, it will be a warning to people who consider taking their children to Cook Children’s Medical Center,” Hood said.

Hood, who studied at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, is a longtime advocate of gay rights, empowering blacks and abolishing the death penalty.

Payton’s family received a court order on Monday that prohibits a the hospital from removing her from life support.

Doctors were set to remove Payton from life support at the Fort Worth hospital on Monday against the wishes of her parents, according to a statement from the attorney representing the girl’s mother, Justin Moore of DeSoto.

Another hearing is scheduled Friday to revisit the order and take into consideration any developments.

“I think people of color are fooling themselves if they believe race does not play a factor in these situations,” Hood said. Payton’s mother is white and her father is black. “If Payton was white, there’s no doubt in my mind that the family would be given more time.”

Hood said protesters may even go to the homes of hospital executives.

“Cook Children’s honors the lives of every child who comes through our doors regardless of race, creed, religion or persuasion,” according to the statement the hospital released Wednesday. “To insinuate that we pick and choose who we help is an affront to the over 7,600 doctors, nurses, staff who give themselves day in and day out to make children better.”

A statement from Cook Children’s Medical Center released earlier this week said the following: “There’s nothing more heartbreaking for a family to face than the possibility of losing a child. Our clinicians, many of whom are parents too, work tirelessly to save children every day.

“Payton arrived at Cook Children’s on Tuesday (Sept. 25), unconscious and suffering from cardiac arrest. She underwent an hour of CPR at home and in the ambulance on the way to Cook Children’s. After arriving in our Emergency Department, our physicians and nurses were able to revive her heartbeat, but they were unsuccessful in resuscitating her breathing.”

“Payton’s breathing is currently being maintained through artificial means with the use of a ventilator, but she suffered a devastating injury to her brain due to being without oxygen for over an hour.”

Payton has cancer and has developed a tumor that has cut off her circulation, according to Laura Copeland, an attorney representing Cook Children’s Medical Center. Doctors have done initial testing that show no brain activity, but have not finalized that testing, Copeland told the judge in the Monday hearing.

Copeland said the hospital had called two Dallas hospitals and given the family four days to make a search after telling the family their child was brain dead on Sept. 27.

“There have been so many situations where this child should have died and she didn’t,” Hood said. “That’s a miracle in itself. Right now this family is expecting a miracle, hoping for a miracle and that process should be allowed to play out. They need to give this family time.”

This story was originally published October 3, 2018 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Protests planned at Fort Worth hospital if girl taken from life support."