Earlier in the week we covered the reported hospitalization of Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Initial reports suggested that she was possibly being treated for "an infection," but it has been reported today that her condition is a bit more severe.
From CNN:
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Friday she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat a recurrence of cancer.
The treatment is yielding "positive results," the 87-year-old liberal justice said in a statement, adding that she remains "fully able" to continue in her post.
Owing to her age and long medical history, Ginsburg's health is the subject of widespread interest given her status as a liberal icon. The prospect that President Donald Trump could name a third justice to the Supreme Court would also be a major election issue.
Earlier this week, Ginsburg was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after having a fever and chills, and undergoing an "endoscopic procedure to clean out a bile duct stent that was placed last August," the court said at the time.
Ginsburg said her cancer treatment is unrelated to this week's incident.
Ginsburg was also in the hospital in early May. At that time, she participated in oral arguments from her hospital bed, asking questions in a case concerning Obamacare's so-called contraceptive mandate.
Friday's statement indicates that the pancreatic cancer Ginsburg was treated for in 2009 has returned again, this time in her liver, and that she tried one of the new immunotherapies for cancer, but it failed to shrink the tumors. It is not liver cancer.
Gemcitabine is a standard chemotherapy treatment that is a mainstay for pancreatic cancer that has spread.Ginsburg has had several bouts with cancer. She had radiation therapy for the pancreatic cancer in 2019 and had some tumors taken out of a lung in 2018. She had colon cancer in 1999."
It has also been reported previously that the Justice's struggle with cancer prevented her from hearing oral arguments in person, rather attending via telecommunication.
Despite her current condition, Ginsburg states that she will continue to serve on the Court.
From Breitbart News:
I will continue bi-weekly chemotherapy to keep my cancer at bay, and am able to maintain an active daily routine. Throughout, I have kept up with opinion writing and all other Court work,” she continued, assuring the public that she intends to continue to serve on the Court.
“I have often said I would remain a member of the Court as long as I can do the job full steam,” Ginsburg said. “I remain fully able to do that”:
However, as the East Bay Times notes, “Friday’s statement indicates that the pancreatic cancer Ginsburg was treated for in 2009 has returned again, this time in her liver, and that she tried one of the new immunotherapies for cancer, but it failed to shrink the tumors. It is not liver cancer.”
Ginsburg was hospitalized last week for a possible infection and “underwent an endoscopic procedure at Johns Hopkins … to clean out a bile duct stent that was placed last August,” court spokesperson Kathleen Arberg announced last week.
The Supreme Court justice has battled with her health in the last several years and has beaten cancer on more than one occasion. She had lung surgery in December 2018 to address lung cancer and underwent radiation therapy last year following the discovery of a cancerous tumor on her pancreas."
While we wish nothing but the best for Justice Ginsburg, her increasingly unstable health should also be a concern for all Americans.
Our Supreme Court needs to be presided over by individuals who are able to give a complete and present contribution to the cases being brought forth.
Let's hope that Justice Ginsburg insistence to remain active in the role is a reflection of her fighting spirit and not the result of political pressure to deny Trump another pick.
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