A woman in a vegetative state for more than 10 years gives birth to a clinic in the United States; police investigate rape | World

Relatives reported that the victim was a patient of Hacienda HealthCare for at least a decade after a drowning that left her in a vegetative state.

"None of the officials knew that she was pregnant until the time of delivery," said a source close to the Fox family newspaper. "After what was said, she was moaning and they did not know what was wrong with her," the source said. She also reported that she had learned at the clinic that the baby was healthy and that a nurse who was there had helped with the delivery.

According to the source, the victim had no chance to defend himself from an attempted rape nor to declare that she was pregnant. According to the Brain Foundation, a person is considered to be in the vegetative state when awake, but without showing signs of consciousness.

The clinic informed family members that she had modified the treatment protocol and indicated that whenever an employee had to enter the room of a patient, she would be accompanied by an employee.

In a statement, the clinic said it was not providing any information on a patient's case "due to privacy legislation", nor was commenting on ongoing investigations.