Judge orders hysterectomy, patient appeals

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — The Montana Supreme Court has delayed an order that a cancer patient undergo a hysterectomy to give her time to appeal a finding that she is not mentally competent to make such a decision.

District Judge Karen Townsend issued a March 1 ruling requiring the woman to undergo the procedure on March 3 to treat her cancer.

She is identified in documents by the initials L.K.

A psychiatrist testified March 1 that the woman suffers from the religious belief that God had cured her, while a physician testified that without treatment, her cancer could kill her within three years.

A public defender filed an emergency petition on March 2 arguing Townsend’s ruling violates L.K.’s religious freedom and constitutional dignity.

The Supreme Court agreed to expedite the appeal.