✍ Scribed by Dorothy C. Rasinski-Gregory
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Winton D. Wood's "The Moral Right to a Surrogate Decision" discussed the Nancy Cruzan Case, predicting what the Supreme Court's decision would be. This commentary is by way of amplification upon his remarks.
Before long, the name Nancy Beth Cruzan will be as familiar to the American as that of Karen Ann Quinlan. Many of us have read about Nancy, talked about her, heard about her on radio and television, and watched gut-wrenching discussions involving her family about what should be done with respect to her further care. Many of us are troubled by the case. We empathize with the family in their torment and anxiety about her future. Many agree that their request for withdrawal of her feeding tube comports with what they see as Nancy's wishes, if she were capable of deciding for herself, or certainly in accord with her "best interests," in light of her own prior statements. Others argue that her current state entails no pardon, while providing the benefit of continued life.
How did this unfortunate situation come about? We are all familiar with the story of Nancy's accident, her subsequent resuscitation, and her failure to regain apparent awareness of herself or her surroundings. We have heard about the seven years during which she has been the beneficiary of treatment by concerned physicians and nurses, all very competent and dedicated to her and her care. Unfortunately, some of them now seem to have over-interpreted Nancy's spontaneous movements as an awareness of others, as a reaction to their presence, or as a response to other stimuli all of which indicate (to their way of thinking) some degree of perception of her surroundings and attempts to communicate with others.
Those who have not been involved in her care have wondered whether this may be a reflection of the providers' own needs to see the positive results of their care and treatment. One may well ask whether
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