The historic case of Karen Ann Quinlan was one of the first to tackle the quandary of terminating life support from a patient who was in a chronically vegetative state. Her case became the center of a national debate on the definition of life and the right to die. Once a private matter between family and doctor, the decision to end life was now the ruling of the New Jersey Supreme Court. The Quinlan case became the legal arena for examining the issues of patient self-determination nationwide. It also sheds light on how the search for legal protection can motivate medical behavior.
Karen Ann Quinlan, an adopted child of Joseph and Julia Quinlan; who were both devout Roman Catholics, moved from her parents home in with a two friends shortly after turning 21 years old. After attending a birthday party at a local bar, Karen was found faint and was then taken home. At the party she was said to have had a few alcoholic beverages and valium. She had also been following a radical diet to fit into a dress that she had wanted to fit into, weighing only 115 pounds at the time of the …show more content…
Quinlan's recovery or even to a moderate improvement in her condition, as proposed by the medical team, Mr. and Mrs. Quinlan made a request that the ventilator be removed. Moreover, the Catholic Church supported Mr. Quinlan, which hold that patients are not required to undergo treatments, which are considered to be "extraordinary means of treatment”. However, the court denied the request based on its contention that people have a constitutional right to life and that disconnecting her from the ventilator would be homicide. Soon after the Quinlan’s appealed the decision to the Supreme Court arguing that “refusal of life-saving treatment” fell under the constitutional “right to privacy”. That Karen Quinlan’s right to make a private family decision regarding her fate supersedes that of the state. Henceforth, the court ruled in favor of Mr.