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Until Life Support Do Us Part: A Spouse's Limited Ability To Terminate Life Support For An Incompetent Spouse With No Hope Of Recovery, Marybeth Herald
Until Life Support Do Us Part: A Spouse's Limited Ability To Terminate Life Support For An Incompetent Spouse With No Hope Of Recovery, Marybeth Herald
Marybeth Herald
This paper deals with a MCS patient in California - a case that highlights our uncertain steps into state regulation of the end of life. After a 1993 automobile accident, 42-year-old Robert Wendland fell into the classification of a MCS with no hope of recovery. He had made no advance directives as to his health care. His wife of 20 years sought to withhold artificial feeding and hydration after three surgeries to replace Robert's feeding tube. The 20-member ethics committee at the hospital, Robert and Rose's three children (two were of college age), and Robert's brother, all supported her decision. …