Judge orders life support for hospice patient

MESA, Ariz. - An incapacitated Chandler man in a hospice must be kept alive and given a special guardian, a judge has ruled. Jesse Ramirez, 36, suffered a broken neck, fractured skull, punctured lung, broken ribs and fractured face in a rollover crash May 30 in Chandler. A neurosurgeon told Ramirez's wife and family on June 8 that doctors had done all they could for Ramirez, who maintains minimal brain activity. Ramirez's wife, Rebecca, reportedly wants him to be denied food and water but his parents and sister want him to be given life-supporting care. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Paul Katz ruled Thursday that the feeding should continue and Jesse Ramirez be given resuscitation if necessary. Rebecca Ramirez, 33, has said she does not want her husband to live if he could not care for himself. Katz ordered that an independent attorney charged with being Jesse Ramirez's advocate investigate the matter and come up with recommendations for resolving it. Katz also scheduled a June 26 hearing on the matter.