Families Testify about Prolonging Life, Death: Life-Support Systems Complicate Dying

Gibeau, Dawn, National Catholic Reporter

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Four hundred fifty doctors, nurses, lawyers, social workers and ethicists repeatedly responded with tears during a precedent-setting conference here early this month at which they heard families relate the ordeals they experienced when medical technology impeded the deaths of their relatives.

The conference was "Managing Mortality," sponsored by the University of Minnesota's Center for Biomedical Ethics. Ethicists, lawyers and medical personnel spoke, but only in response to the focus on families.

Among speakers were Julia and Joseph Quinlan of New Jersey, parents of Karen Ann Quinlan; Joe Cruzan and Christy Cruzan White of Missouri, father and sister of Nancy Cruzan; Patricia Brophy of Massachusetts, widow of Paul Brophy; and Julie Chase Delio of New York, widow of Daniel Delio.

These families had fought the medical establishment, in some cases in court, to obtain the removal of life-support equipment from their loved ones as they lingered in a persistent vegetative state.

They castigated medical personnel …

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Publication information: Article title: Families Testify about Prolonging Life, Death: Life-Support Systems Complicate Dying. Contributors: Gibeau, Dawn - Author. Magazine title: National Catholic Reporter. Volume: 29. Issue: 8 Publication date: December 18, 1992. Page number: 6. © 2009 National Catholic Reporter. COPYRIGHT 1992 Gale Group.

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