Cruzan v Director, Missouri Department of Health, was a landmark United States
Supreme Court decision. This became the first of the “right to die” cases heard by the Court. It brought forth the question: do people maintain a private, personal right to choose when to end their life? This case would spark national debate and an increased interest in “living wills”.
Nancy Beth Cruzan was 25 years old when she was involved in a automobile accident in
1983 that left her unresponsive to outside stimulation. Paramedics found her face down in a ditch and had to restart her heart. She had stopped breathing for about 15 minutes, causing her to suffer from severe brain damage (“Nancy Cruzan Dies”, p1). She emerged from a three week long coma and proceeded …show more content…
After five years and with virtually no chance for recovery, her parents asked hospital employees to terminate their daughter’s life support and remove the tubes (“Case
Briefs”, par 3). By this time, most of the annual costs of hospitalization was being paid by the state of Missouri. The care costs had exhausted the Cruzan’s resources (“Cruzan v Director”, par
3).
The state hospital officials had refused to terminate life support without court approval.
While the Missouri District Court granted the Cruzan’s requests, the director of the Missouri
Department of Health took the case on appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court. The state of
Missouri provided that regardless of patient condition, any overt actions of removing life
Abigail Jones 2 Government Block 2 sustaining tubes would constitute as murder under Missouri law. The Cruzan’s argued that the state of Missouri was neglecting to consider the pain and suffering of Nancy and her family.
They also stated that the costs being paid by the state for Cruzans medical treatment could be put to better use by putting the money into children’s procedures who were currently facing
Supreme Court decision. This became the first of the “right to die” cases heard by the Court. It brought forth the question: do people maintain a private, personal right to choose when to end their life? This case would spark national debate and an increased interest in “living wills”.
Nancy Beth Cruzan was 25 years old when she was involved in a automobile accident in
1983 that left her unresponsive to outside stimulation. Paramedics found her face down in a ditch and had to restart her heart. She had stopped breathing for about 15 minutes, causing her to suffer from severe brain damage (“Nancy Cruzan Dies”, p1). She emerged from a three week long coma and proceeded …show more content…
After five years and with virtually no chance for recovery, her parents asked hospital employees to terminate their daughter’s life support and remove the tubes (“Case
Briefs”, par 3). By this time, most of the annual costs of hospitalization was being paid by the state of Missouri. The care costs had exhausted the Cruzan’s resources (“Cruzan v Director”, par
3).
The state hospital officials had refused to terminate life support without court approval.
While the Missouri District Court granted the Cruzan’s requests, the director of the Missouri
Department of Health took the case on appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court. The state of
Missouri provided that regardless of patient condition, any overt actions of removing life
Abigail Jones 2 Government Block 2 sustaining tubes would constitute as murder under Missouri law. The Cruzan’s argued that the state of Missouri was neglecting to consider the pain and suffering of Nancy and her family.
They also stated that the costs being paid by the state for Cruzans medical treatment could be put to better use by putting the money into children’s procedures who were currently facing