The Right to Life, Fight to Die
Elizabeth Bouvia
Evan Borochina, Nicole Calderone,
Tanner Nivins & Qiwen Wu
Main players, their point of view & the terms that apply to each:
Video Interview
Elizabeth Bouvia
- Quotes
- Quality of life
- Counseling
- Choice
- Ethical terms
Medical Providers/Community
- Quesioned "reasoning" for suicide
- Ethical Terms
Richard Bovia
Disability Community/
Paul Longmore
- Media
- Elizabeth Was a victim
- Critiques an inadequate system that forces terrible, desperate decisions
- The disability community felt Bouvia was wrong and actively tired to change her mind
- Ethical Terms
Court System & Judges
- Judge Hews: Denied
- Superme Court Appeal: Denied
- Judge Warren Deering: Denied
- California Court of appeal: Ruled in Elizabeth's favor
Terms
Locus of Authority
Informed consent
confidentiality
Paternalism
Autonomy
Non-maleficence
- His personal Background
- Conversed by mail
- each letter took her 4 to 5 hours]
- August 25, 1982
- The Back & Fourth
- The Final Draw
Medical History
- Struggle with Cerebral Palsy (CP) from birth
- CP is a movement disorder caused by damage to the brain before, during, or soon after birth. Effects 1.5-4 per 1,000 live births
- Never had use of legs, but had limited mobility in facial muscles and right hand
- Richard Scott was her trained physician and lawyer
- Trip to Mexico
References
Personal History
Impact on Society
Final Outcome
Johnson Mary (1997). Right to Life, Fight to Die: The Elizabeth Bouvia saga.Broadreach Training and resources. http://www.normemma.com/advocacy/ebouvia.htm
McCarrick, P. (1992). Active Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 2(1), 79-100
Paneth N, Hont T, Korzeniewski S. (2006). The descriptive epidemeology of cerebral palsy. Clinics in Perinatology, 33(2), 251-267.
Pence, G. E (2011). Medical Ethics: Accounts of Ground-Breaking Cases. New York: The McGraw Hills Company.
- Extent of disability
- Parents divorce
- Angel View Crippled Children's Foundation home
- On her own
- In home support services
- Schooling
- Debating whether or not a competent adult human has the right to refuse medical treatment and die.
- Patient's autonomy instead of the doctor's primary Locus of Authority.
- California Court of Appeal granted her request to starve herself without intervention
- Despite this, Elizabeth didn't go through with starving herself because it was too difficult to do so