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Quadriplegic Receives OK to End His Life

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From Associated Press

A quadriplegic is entitled to have the ventilator that keeps him alive modified so he can shut it off and end his life at will, a state judge ruled Wednesday.

Larry McAfee’s right to refuse continued life-sustaining medical treatment outweighs the state’s interest in preserving life, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Edward Johnson ruled after an emotional 45-minute hearing.

Five family members and two friends testified that McAfee, 33, an avid sportsman paralyzed from the neck down since a 1985 motorcycle accident, had repeatedly told them he wanted to die rather than continue as he is.

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Doctors have said his condition is irreversible.

“The ventilator to which he is attached is not prolonging his life; it is prolonging his death,” the judge said, adding that he found McAfee to be a rational, competent, intelligent adult capable of making that decision.

McAfee had asked that he be given a sedative when he shuts off the machine and that the court promise that no one will restart the breathing apparatus.

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