Police investigate after woman in vegetative state gives birth

Police in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday opened an investigation into the circumstances under which a woman who has been in a vegetative state for a decade recently gave birth.

The woman, who is a patient at a care facility called Hacienda Healthcare, went into labor Dec. 29 and delivered a baby boy. Her caretakers said they did not know she was pregnant until labor began, and she did not receive any prenatal care.

Hacienda is cooperating with investigators and has reportedly changed its policies to keep male staff from spending time alone with female patients.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"In sexual assault cases, it's not uncommon that perpetrators have multiple victims, and so that would be a concern for us," said Tasha Menaker of the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. "Many sexual assault perpetrators are actually looking for situations where people are in isolated or vulnerable positions."