Task:

You have been tasked to develop an in-service education product concerning the end of life decisions. Your instructions are to base your analysis on the case of Karen Ann Quinlan. Research this, then write an analytical research paper in which you support ONE side of the case – either the parents or the hospital. This paper is not supposed to merely be a summary of the case, but your analysis of the laws and facts of the case and the final court decision.

Be sure to include the following information in your paper. What were the facts and court holding in the Quinlan case? What law(s) did the judge rely upon to support his decision? Analyze the hospital’s and the parent’s actions and beliefs, supporting one or the other. Discuss the end of life issues (legal and ethical) involved in the case to support your defense of either the medical center or parents. What ethical principles are at play in this case? How does the court analyze each of them?

How does the court balance these ethical principles to come to the ultimate conclusion? How have doctors ethical obligations been more clearly defined since Quinlan? Are the court’s decisions based on sound legal and ethical arguments? Consider these issues: autonomy (self-governance), justice, right to die, the need for an advanced directive, living wills, and powers of attorney. Don’t assume the reader is knowledgeable about these issues. Define them and discuss them to support your position in the paper. Do not use the first person. Your paper will be an analytical research paper. Do not include an abstract. I have attached an outline template for a good analytical paper.