Was It Murder?
Doctor, Two Nurses Were Accused Of Murdering Patients
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Play CBS Video Video Was It Murder? Arrested for the murder of four patients by lethal injection in the tragic days after Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Anna Pou says she and two nurses are not murderers. Morley Safer reports.
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Video Safer's Reporter's Notebook Only On The Web: Morley Safer discusses his interview with Dr. Anna Pou, who was accused of lethally injecting four patients at New Orleans' Memorial Hospital.
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Morley Safer speaks with Dr. Anna Pou. (CBS)
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Asked if she murdered those patients, as the attorney general alleges, she says, "No, I did not murder those patients. Mr. Safer, I've spent my entire life taking care of patients. I have no history of doing anything other than good for my patients. I do the best of my ability. Why would I suddenly start murdering people? This doesn't make sense."
She also says she is just not capable of any sort of mercy killing.
"I do not believe in euthanasia. I don't think that it's anyone's decision to make when a patient dies," Dr. Pou explains. "However, what I do believe in is comfort care. And that means that we ensure that they do not suffer pain."
"Doctors make decisions every day in terms of the so called double effect where the medicine I am going to give to this person I know is it's going to ease their pain. But, I also know there is another possible effect and the effect is to shorten their lives. Are we talking about something like that?" Safer asks.
"Are we talking about in this case?" Dr. Pou asks.
"Yes," Safer replies.
"Any time that you provide pain medicine to anybody there is a risk," Dr. Pou explains. "But, as I said, my role is to help them through their pain."
Murder or not, the alleged crimes took place when help was actually on the way. But no one in the hospital knew that. The owners of Memorial had chartered five helicopters; within hours hundreds of people were evacuated, 34 people lay dead.
"I don't think I could have done anything more. I worked almost around the clock running up and down the stairs," Dr. Pou says. "I did the best I could under these dreadful conditions that I did not create, but were created by the fact that we were abandoned."
Safer asked Foti if he took the conditions into consideration when he made his decision.
He says he did and says he has no second thoughts.
Though no longer facing life in prison, the three women still face civil lawsuits brought by the families of those who died. Whatever may have happened at Memorial over those four days two years ago, it is one more example of the utter failure of city, state and federal authorities which placed Dr. Anna Pou and the nurses in a hopeless situation – the worst part of which, for Dr. Pou, was the prospect of never practicing medicine again.
"That is the thing that is truly the most painful for me," Dr. Pou. "I'm very committed and I love what I do. I mean, I really love it. It is the best thing about my life. And the fact that I may not to be able to continue to do the thing that I love the most when I know I can do a lot of good is just phenomenally, phenomenally painful to me."
Now that Dr. Pou has been cleared of all criminal charges she says she will return to practicing medicine. Attorney General Charles Foti says he still believes Dr. Pou is guilty of murder.
Produced By Deirdre Naphin and Katherine Textor
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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See all 22 CommentsI have been a practicing RN for almost 30 years and agree TOTALLY with what the doctor and nurses did. Even if I didn''t, who is Foti to judge what these people did in such abhorrent conditions? What a sanctimonious idiot. Also, the suing families should feel gratitude for these health care workers that cared enough to make their loved ones comfortable, even if the result was death.
Bless the three of you for what you did and what you had to endure.
I have been a practicing RN for almost 30 years and agree TOTALLY with what the doctor and nurses did. Even if I didn''t, who is Foti to judge what these people did in such abhorrent conditions? What a sanctimonious idiot. Also, the suing families should feel gratitude for these health care workers that cared enough to make their loved ones comfortable, even if the result was death.
Bless the three of you for what you did and what you had to endure.
I saw story about Dr. Anna Pou and her staff. SHAME ON YOU, SIR. Shame on you and the rest of the Government Officials who were so slow on coming to anyone%u2019s aid that they ran out of hope. You have no right to criticize anyone who stayed to help the helpless when you sat idle for days. You told 60 Minutes that you spent ten and a half months investigating what happened. Did it ever occur to you that had you acted immediately and sent help this could have been avoided.
It must be easy to sit in that Ivory Tower and pass judgment on others. If you need to blame someone for this tragedy I would in the mirror.
I hope when you are up for re-election the people do the right thing and vote for whomever else is running
I read on CNN that the family of a 90 year old woman is suing the hospital for her death. Perhaps they would have liked her to suffer longer. Give me a break. This country is so overly moral that the living get screwed right and left.
Now their families, who did not go to help them, are filing civil suits against these people.
I have been a practicing RN for almost 30 years and agree TOTALLY with what the doctor and nurses did. Even if I didn''t, who is Foti to judge what these people did in such abhorrent conditions? What a sanctimonious idiot. Also, the suing families should feel gratitude for these health care workers that cared enough to make their loved ones comfortable, even if the result was death.
Bless the three of you for what you did and what you had to endure.
I have been a practicing RN for almost 30 years and agree TOTALLY with what the doctor and nurses did. Even if I didn''t, who is Foti to judge what these people did in such abhorrent conditions? What a sanctimonious idiot. Also, the suing families should feel gratitude for these health care workers that cared enough to make their loved ones comfortable, even if the result was death.
Bless the three of you for what you did and what you had to endure.
Tim Drury
92-1242 Makakilo Dr. #47
Kapolei, Hawaii 96707
People don''t fear death nearly so much as unabating pain. Palliative care for the terminally ill cannot be administered by even the most conscientious health provider if that provider fears the heavy-handed, headline-seeking politico whose opinions do not address the reality of the end of life. Mr. Foti may have a difficult time finding pain relief from any health provider who witnessed his smug, know-it-all demeanor during his interview with Morely Safer.
Bless Dr. Pou and all of those selfless individuals who do the right thing for the patient. Mr. Foti''s hindsight lacks credibility because he was not there--thank God for that.
Thank you very much for sharing such an amazing story with us. I truly believe that Dr. Anna Pou and her stuff did not get any help at the time they really needed it.
My rational question right now and after hearing the Attorney General is: %u201Cwhere were you?%u201D
We are talking about the Memorial Hospital.
Imaging the entire city not receiving the most basic and expected help from the government right away.
Nobody can judge such a heroic performance from people at the Memorial Hospital and help from other many angels that happened to be there. Call them doctors, nurses, maintenance people, police man, firefighters, neighbors, I do not know, I think %u201Ctitles%u201D don%u2019t matter in a circumstance like the day during and after Katrina.
I respect and support with my soul and heart people who really made the difference. I come from a family where 6 members suffered and died of cancer.
Cancer, in the worst terrible condition plus inhumane physical and environmental conditions, is a sign that the %u201Ctime%u201D has arrived and selfishness has to move on Mr. Attorney.
Dr. Anna Pou, I totally respect you and your people. We need more people like you in this world.
Thank you very much.
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