The Right to Die Movement: From Quinlan to Schiavo

Abstract

This paper traces the evolution of the right to die movement from its beginnings in 1976 all the way to the present. Part I looks at the beginnings of the movement, focusing on the Quinlan and Cruzan cases that together helped to establish the right of an individual to refuse life-sustaining medical treatment. Part II discusses the shift in the movement’s focus during the Nineties to the highly controversial topic of physician-assisted suicide (“PASâ€). Part III explores the events leading up to the Supreme Court’s 1997 rulings on the constitutionality of PAS. Finally, Part IV examines the recent Schiavo controversy and the implications that it holds for the future of the right to die movement.