Ohio Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the
first African-American woman to represent Ohio in Congress and a GLBT
ally, remains in critical condition in an East Cleveland, OH hospital
after suffering an aneurysm last night.
Officials say the Congresswoman
collapsed while driving in the suburb of Cleveland Heights Tuesday
night and was taken to Huron Hospital in nearby East Cleveland.
At an afternoon press conference today,
Dr. A. Gus Kious said she had suffered a “very serious brain
hemorrhage caused by an aneurysm that burst in an inaccessible part
of her brain.”
“This morning, a team of medical
doctors and neurosurgeons from Huron Hospital and Cleveland Clinic
evaluated her medical condition and determined that she has very
limited brain function.” he said.
Tubbs Jones, a rising Democratic star
who has served five House terms and is expected to win her sixth, is
a long-time GLBT ally. She is a co-sponsor of Rep. Ellen Tauscher's
Military Readiness Enhancement Act aimed at repeal of the military's
ban on gays & lesbians serving openly and she scores high on the
Human Rights Campaign GLBT index.
The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported the
Congresswoman had died, but now says she is in critical condition.