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Statutory Citations
Indiana

Statutes


Documents

Free advance directive documents and instructions from Partnership for Caring.


Court Cases
Indiana
Case In re Lawrance, 579 N.E.2d 32 (Ind. 1991).
Court Indiana Supreme Court
Year 1990
Patient (age) Sue Ann Lawrence (42)
Nutrition + hydration unknown
Mental capacity Permanent brain damage since age 9; Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) since age 38
Decision maker(s) parents
Setting An Indiana hospice
Patient's Wishes Unknown, but her parents and four siblings greed that tube feeding whold be withdrawn. 
Court's Decision The court found that common law, the Indiana constitution, and various Indiana statues all support the right to self-determination, and that this right typically transfers to the closest family members in cases where the individual becomes incompetent to make decisions for him- or herself (when no one else has been specifically designated), or when the patient was never competent to make a decision in the first instance (as was the case here).
Outcome Sue Ann Lawrence died while her case was on appeal.
Citation Partnership for Caring, Inc. (2001), Fact Sheet, In re Lawrance.
   

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