Woman Kept on Life Support by Court Order Dies

An 86-year-old woman whose husband won a court battle to keep her on life support has died, a hospital spokeswoman said Friday.

Helga Wanglie, a retired schoolteacher from Minneapolis, died Thursday from a massive infection after being kept alive by artificial means for more than 18 months at the Hennepin County Medical Center. She never regained consciousness after she suffered respiratory arrest Jan. 1, 1990.

Her husband, Oliver Wanglie, won a court battle last week with her doctors, who argued that Helga Wanglie would never emerge from a vegetative state and should be disconnected from the machines keeping her alive.

But a judge ruled that Oliver Wanglie retained authority over decisions about his wife’s medical care. Wanglie testified that the couple’s religious views and his lingering hope for his wife’s recovery would not allow him to see her disconnected.