Legal Battle
After seeing Karen like this for several months, her family wanted her returned to her 'natural state'. Being devoutly Catholic, the Quinlan's sought the counsel from their church. They did not want to end Karen's life but to end the "extraordinary means", specifically the ventilator. Hospital officials, faced with threats from the Morris County prosecutor to bring homicide charges against them, joined with the Quinlan family in seeking an appropriate protective order from the courts, before allowing the respirator to be removed. The Quinlan family persevered, and in 1976 they appealed a ruling against them to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which ruled in their favor. When she was taken off the respirator, Quinlan surprised many by continuing to breathe unaided, and was fed by artificial nutrition for nine more years.
Read more about this topic: Karen Ann Quinlan
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