Really sad story out of New York... A state appeals court ruled that a terminally ill woman who has been locked in a legal battle with her parents, has the right to die: Court rules that Grace Sung Eun Lee's wish to die will been granted.28-year-old Grace Sung Eun Lee, who is suffering from an inoperable brain tumor, expressed the desire to be taken off life support rather than live with the pain and suffering of her condition, unable to eat or breathe on her own.
But her devoutly religious parents viewed the decision as suicide attempted to block her request to die. The court, however, ruled that Lee is capable of making her own end-of-life decisions:
The decision by a four-judge appellate court panel upheld a lower-court ruling that the woman, SungEun Grace Lee, was mentally capable of making decisions about her own care, handing a defeat to her parents, who argued that her medicated state had made her incompetent.All that remains is whether or not Grace Lee will make that decision. There now appears to be some doubt about what she really wants -- which, at very least, remains her choice: Court Backs a Terminally Ill Woman, but Doubts About Her Wishes Arise.
Ms. Lee is paralyzed from the neck down and is being kept alive by a breathing machine. Doctors at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., have testified that Ms. Lee told them that she wanted to die, and that they were prepared to grant her wish. Her parents, who are deeply religious, have said they viewed the wish as suicide and wanted her kept on life support.