A woman who has been refusing treatment for tuberculosis for more than a year is the subject of an arrest warrant signed by a judge in Washington state.
According to KOMO News, Judge Philip Sorenson signed a civil arrest warrant on Thursday afternoon, granting authorities permission to detain the woman beginning on Friday in order to transport her to a treatment facility where she will be isolated and treated for tuberculosis.
According to court documents, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department presented itself to the judge last week and stated that it had attempted to get the woman to comply with the judge’s order that she either isolate herself or resume taking medication to treat her tuberculosis.
The woman was placed on an involuntary isolation order to undergo tuberculosis treatment from December 25, 2022 to February 8, 2023; however, it is believed that she left treatment before it was finished.
The first treatment order for the woman was issued in January 2022, according to court records. WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FINISHED IN WAKE OF TUBERCULOSIS OUTBREAK IN PRISON.
The woman’s attorney argued that the woman had not deliberately disobeyed the court order because she had not comprehended the significance of the situation, but the judge ultimately refused to modify his order.
The health department posted on Thursday, “The civil arrest warrant Judge Philip Sorenson issued will authorize law enforcement to detain her on or after Friday, March 3 and take her to a facility equipped for isolation, testing, and treatment.” To safeguard the community and persuade the patient to voluntarily seek the life-saving treatment she requires, we will continue to work through the court and pursue all of our options.”
According to a health department spokesperson, this arrest is only the third in 20 years for which a court order has been required.
