Health Law Keyed to Furrow
Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health
InstructorMatthew Steinberg
CaseCast™ – "What you need to know"
Facts
The Cruzans’ (Plaintiff) daughter was involved in a traffic accident that left her permanently comatose, and they requested that life support be removed. The facility where she was receiving care would do so only with court approval. The Missouri Supreme Court considered evidence that the Plaintiffs’ daughter had once told a roommate that she would not want to live if she could not take care of herself, but the Court ruled that this did not meet Missouri’s (Defendant) statutory requirement that life support could only be terminated with clear and convincing evidence that this was consistent with the patient’s wishes. The United States Supreme Court granted review.
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