The highly publicized and prolonged series of legal challenges between her husband on one side; her parents, state and federal legislative on the other side effected a seven-year delay before gastrostomy tube was finally removed Terri Schiavo collapsed in her St. Petersburg, Florida, after she had myocardial infarction on february 25, 1990 at the age of 27 years. She suffered massive brain damage due to anoxia and, after two and a half months in a coma, her diagnosis was changed to persistent vegetative state. She then received speech and physical therapy and other experimental therapy, hoping to return her to a state of awareness but none of these seemed to help. Robert and Mary Schindler, who argued that she was conscious. The court determined that she would not wish to continue life-prolonging measures, and on April 24, 2001, her feeding tube was removed for the first time, This was reinserted several days later because her parents had challenged the removal and court had to make determination on it.
After much deliberation ultimately the Supreme Court unanimously voted 9-0 that euthanasia in fact did not violate the Equal Protection Clause. Although patients are able to refuse lifesaving treatment, the Court held that there is a clear difference between treatment refusal and criminal intent and that the states have the authority to determine the constitutionality of physician assisted suicide, not the federal government. Physician assisted suicide is when a doctor or a trained medical professional assists, in the form of “information, guidance”, or action, someone to kill themselves (National Right to Life Association). Many terminally ill patients rely on doctors when suffering has reached their limit, cognizant of their powerful drugs and medication that will make dying easier. The main constitutional issue within Vacco v. Quill involves the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment, which states that no state can deny any persons “equal protection of the laws”.
During the attack, the police allowed her husband to wander around for 25 minutes and watched as he continued to attack her. When the ambulance arrived and took Tracy away, then they proceeded to arrest Charles. Tracy went to court against the police department of her home town, Torrington, Connecticut for failing to provide her with protection since she was married to her attacker. The court found that Tracey was discriminated against because the violence was a Domestic dispute. She was awarded 2.3 million dollars by the court.
Marian was 11 years old and her parents forced her to marry a blind, 41 years old. Her price was $1,200. When she was living with her husband and his mother, they began to beat her when she failed to conceived a child. After 2 years of abuse, she sought help at police station in Kabul after the police delivered her to a residential neighborhood " Women's shelters", something that was unknown in Afghanistan before 2003. Marian said she felt fortunate to have found refuge.
A few days later, mom brought David back to inform management that David was under legal guardianship and that he had no legal authority to enter in the contract to buy the Neon. David’s mother showed management guardianship papers, however management refused to take the car back. David’s mother insisted the contract was void, but David was still given the keys. She then went on to contact the General Manager of Kenai, and he even agreed that David was bound to the contract. David eventually damaged the Dodge in a one car accident.
During the day the nurse assigned to care for Josie gave her a dose of dilaudid. Josie's mother questioned the dose but it was administered anyways. Josie expired two days later. Josie's cause of death was due to narcotic misuse and severe dehydration. These two causes could have been avoided but as Sorrel King so eloquently stated, "hospitals are a man made epidemic," and "human errors need a human solution" (King, 2002).
If a person is suffering in unbearable pain and cannot enjoy life then euthanasia would be the best option to help that person die a dignified and peaceful death, rather than a period of lost dignity and prolonged suffering. Current laws state that active euthanasia is illegal in most of the country. Patients can refuse medical treatment and receive pain management, even if the patient’s choices hasten their death. Futile or burdensome treatments, such as life support machines, may be withdrawn under specific circumstances. Under federal and some state laws medical facilities need consent from patients or, in the event of incompetency of the patient, informed consent of the legal surrogate.
After the death of Nicole Brown Simpson, her sister appeared on television to express her thoughts and inputs of her sister’s death. After selling her story, she was then unable to be used as evidence because she was on the media and considered tampered evidence. The trial would have had a whole other outcome if some situations were to outcome differently. Some of the major reasons for OJ to walk free were the lack of evidence to prove him guilty. Two years before Simpson was convicted, Rodney King was severely beaten by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Picoult continues on this theme of “saving” by using Suzanne as Sara’s crutch, as she makes her coffee each morning and informs her of any missed phone calls. While in the hospital, Sara receives a call from Jesse’s principal informing her of Jesse’s suspension. On the car ride home she notices a bruise on his arm from a needle and assumes he has been using drugs. Jesse angrily explains how he has been donating blood that gave Kate platelets behind the family’s back, in order to “save” his sister. After two weeks in the hospital, Kate developed an infection that placed her in a coma on a respirator, which is “saving” her for the time being.
After a few hours of being in pain and exhausted I called my mom again, she told me that I wasn’t ready to go to the hospital so stay home and she will be on her way in a little; I replied “I need to go now”, I don’t really care if they don’t admit me, I need drugs now!” I waited a few more minutes and called my best friend Bianca to come and bring me to the hospital. When I was walking out the door my mom called and said she was down the street and to wait. After 10 minutes of impatiently waiting I proceed to walk out the door. My mom pulls up in the driveway and says that she thinks I should wait a little longer, “I can’t wait I need to go now” I replied. On the way to the hospital we gotten lost and went around in circles of like 15 minutes.