NATION IN BRIEF : GEORGIA : Quadriplegic Gains Right to End His Life
The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that a 33-year-old quadriplegic has a constitutional right to withdraw from the breathing apparatus that has kept him alive for four years. The court said in a unanimous opinion that Larry McAfee’s right to discontinue the treatment falls under privacy rights guaranteed by the state and federal constitutions. McAfee suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a 1985 motorcycle accident that left him a quadriplegic and dependent upon a ventilator to breathe. McAfee has said he plans to shut off his ventilator after the holiday season.
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