Karen Quinlan

21 year old college student

ingested a combination of drugs at a party
put to bed after feeling unwell
stopped breathing
cardiopulmonary arrest
persistent vegetative state
no cognitive function, grimace, chewing, uttered sounds, normal blood pressure, but
entirely unaware of anything or anyone
life-support
parents asked that she be removed from life support and allowed to die
doctors refused, she didn’t meet the Harvard criteria for brain death, cannot be
declared legally dead
doctor could not terminate a patient’s life support if the patient did not meet the
legal definitions of brain death
joseph quinlan, father, sued
first (freedom of religion) and eighth (protection against cruel and unusual
punishment) amendment
individual’s right to privacy
removing her from life support is not committing homicide
removed from respirator but did not die
lived for another 9 years until pneumonia killed her, she was 31
legal precedent for other right-to-die cases, bioethics
facilities now establish ethics committees

withdraw life-sustaining treatment from a patient who was not really terminally ill
but not really alive
decision to terminate life support, which was once a private matter between the
patient’s family and doctor, became an issue to be decided by the courts
new jersey supreme court ruling on this case became the precedent for nearly all
right-to-die cases nationwide
father wanted to be his daughter’s guardian
court denied petition of turning the respirator off, also refused to grant him
guardianship over his daughter
appealed to the supreme court of new jersey
first amendment, rejected
eighth amendment, not applicable to karen’s case, karen’s case is an accident of fate
and nature, not punishment inflicted by law or state
right to privacy was most relevant, included a patient’s right to refuse medical
treatment
karen’s right to privacy may be asserted on her behalf by her guardian…
if Karen was lucid for an interval and perceptive of her irreversible condition, she
too would discontinue her life support even if it meant the prospect of natural death
sources: court and the end of life – the right to privacy: Karen ann quinlan