Karen Quinlan, Nancy Cruzan and Terri Schiavo cases has affected the practice of medicine and law around the world. For example, the Karen Quinlan case became a precedent for many issues that has affected the healthcare system. The case brought up many questions such as, when is someone dead (brain death), the right to die, and the extent of a doctor's obligations to a patient. The case encouraged the establishment of ethics committees in hospitals.
It is also emphasized the importance of informed consent so that hospitals and doctors would know what to do in the future.
Secondly, the Nancy Cruzan case is important today because documents called "living wills" eliminate the stress and confusion the Cruzans endured. Living wills, which