The former South African president, Nelson Mandela has been in a life support machine for the most of nearly one month he was admitted in a hospital.
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The former president, who turns 95 later this month, was rushed to hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection.
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However, doctors treating him have disclosed that he was in a "permanent vegetative state" and advised his family to turn off his life support machine.
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"He is in a permanent vegetative state and is assisted in breathing by a life support machine," said a court filing dated June 26 and obtained by AFP Thursday.
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"Rather than prolonging his suffering, the Mandela family is exploring this option as a very real probability," read a filing from the family's lawyer, relating to a dispute over the final resting place of Mandela's three children.
The news I'm hearing day by day about Nelson Mandela's state of health is not encouraging at all. I hope they change...He deserves to live.