Karen Ann Quinlan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karen Ann Quinlan
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Quinlan in 1972, before she became sick
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| Born | March 29, 1954 |
| Died | June 11, 1985 (aged 31) |
Karen Ann Quinlan (born March 29, 1954 – died June 11, 1985) was an American woman whose case became very important in the discussion about the right to die in the United States. When she was 21, Karen became unconscious after she became very sick. This led to her falling into a coma, and then a state where she was awake but did not respond or think, called a persistent vegetative state. Her parents, Joseph and Julia Quinlan, asked doctors to remove the machine that was helping her breathe, because they believed it was keeping her alive in an unnatural way. Doctors were worried about legal problems, so they refused. This led her parents to go to court.
Karen's case brought up many important questions about what is right and wrong in medicine, how to make decisions for people who can't decide for themselves, and people's basic rights. Her case changed how doctors and lawyers work around the world. One big result was that hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices started having special committees to help make difficult decisions about patient care.
Contents
Karen's Early Life and Sickness
Karen Ann Quinlan was born on March 29, 1954, in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She was adopted a few weeks later by Joseph and Julia Quinlan, who were devout Roman Catholics. They lived in Roxbury, New Jersey. Karen had a sister, Mary Ellen, and a brother, John. She went to Morris Catholic High School and later worked at different jobs. Her parents remembered her as a singer and a tomboy. In April 1975, shortly after turning 21, Karen moved out of her parents' home and into a house with two roommates. Around this time, she started a very strict diet.
On April 15, 1975, Karen went to a friend's birthday party. She had not eaten much for two days. At the party, she drank some alcoholic drinks and took some medicine. Soon after, she felt faint and was taken home to bed. About 15 minutes later, her friends found she was not breathing. An ambulance was called, and people tried to help her breathe. She got some color back, but she did not wake up. Karen was taken to Newton Memorial Hospital and stayed there for nine days. She was then moved to Saint Clare's Hospital, a larger hospital in Denville.
Karen had severe brain damage because she stopped breathing for about 15–20 minutes. Doctors were not sure exactly why she stopped breathing. Her brain was so damaged that she entered a persistent vegetative state. This meant she was awake but could not respond to anything around her. Her eyes did not move together, and her brain activity was very abnormal. Over the next few months, her condition got worse. She lost weight and had to be fed through a tube in her nose. She also needed a machine called a ventilator to help her breathe.
The Court Case
Karen's parents, Joseph and Julia Quinlan, asked the hospital to take her off the ventilator. They believed this machine was keeping her alive in an unnatural way and causing her pain. However, officials at the hospital were worried. A prosecutor in New Jersey said they could be charged with homicide (a type of murder) if they removed the machine. So, the hospital joined the Quinlan family in asking the courts for permission to remove the ventilator.
Asking the Court for Help
The Quinlans filed a lawsuit on September 12, 1975. They asked the court to allow them to stop the "extraordinary means" that were keeping Karen alive. Their lawyers argued that parents have the right to make private decisions about their child's care. However, Karen's court-appointed guardian argued that removing the ventilator would be like ending her life. In November 1975, a judge named Robert Muir, Jr. said no to their request. He said that Karen's doctors did not agree with removing the ventilator, and that it was a medical decision, not a court decision. He also said it would go against New Jersey laws about homicide.
The Quinlans' lawyers, Paul W. Armstrong and James M. Crowley, appealed this decision to the New Jersey Supreme Court. On March 31, 1976, the Supreme Court agreed with the Quinlans. The court said that a person's right to privacy was broad enough to include the Quinlans' request for Karen.
When Karen was taken off her ventilator in May 1976, many people were surprised because she continued to breathe on her own. Her parents never asked for her feeding tube to be removed. Julia Quinlan said, "We never asked to have her die. We just asked to have her put back in a natural state so she could die in God's time." Karen was then moved to a nursing home. She continued to be fed through a tube for nine more years until she died on June 11, 1985, from breathing problems.
What are "Extraordinary Means"?
In Catholic moral theology, which is a way of thinking about right and wrong based on Catholic beliefs, it is not required to use "extraordinary means" to keep someone alive. "Extraordinary means" are any medical procedures that might cause too much burden or pain to the patient, their family, or others, and would not likely help the patient get better. A person, or someone acting for them if they cannot decide, can refuse these extraordinary treatments, even if it means they might die sooner naturally. This is considered ethical.
Karen's parents used this idea when they asked for the ventilator to be removed. They referred to a statement made by Pope Pius XII in 1957.
Karen's Life After Court and Her Legacy
After her parents disconnected her ventilator in May 1976, Karen's parents continued to allow her to be fed with a feeding tube. They did not consider the feeding tube an "extraordinary means" because it did not cause Karen pain. Karen remained in a persistent vegetative state for a little over nine years. She died on June 11, 1985, in Morris Plains, New Jersey, from respiratory failure caused by pneumonia. When her parents learned she was expected to die, they asked that no special efforts be made to revive her. Karen weighed about 65 pounds (29 kg) when she died. She was buried at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover Township, New Jersey.
Hospice Care
In 1980, Joseph and Julia Quinlan opened a hospice and a foundation to honor their daughter's memory. A hospice is a place that provides care and comfort for people who are very sick and nearing the end of their lives. Karen's court case led to changes in laws and hospital rules about a person's right to refuse medical treatments, even if stopping treatment might lead to death.
What Doctors Learned After Karen's Death
While Karen was alive, doctors could not fully understand how much her brain was damaged. After she died, her entire brain and spinal cord were carefully studied.
Doctors found that a part of her brain called the thalamus was very damaged. This part of the brain is thought to be very important for being conscious and aware. However, the part of her brain that controls breathing and heart functions was not damaged. These findings helped doctors learn more about how different parts of the brain affect consciousness.
See also
In Spanish: Karen Ann Quinlan para niños
- Right to die
- Coma
- Brain death
- Jahi McMath case
- Nancy Cruzan
- Terri Schiavo
