Elizabeth Bouvia
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Bouvia is a figure in the right-to-die
movement. Her case attracted nationwide attention in this area as well as in medical ethics
.
of Riverside General Hospital
in Riverside, California
. She was almost totally paralysed by cerebral palsy
and had severe degenerative arthritis
, which caused her great pain
.
Bouvia was alienated from her family and husband, and had been entertaining thoughts of suicide
. She requested hospital authorities to allow her to starve to death. When they refused and ordered her to be force-fed, Bouvia contacted the American Civil Liberties Union
, which assigned her a lawyer. In the subsequent lawsuit, the court upheld the hospital's decision and ordered force-feeding
to continue (Pence 64-65).
. Four attendants would then hold her down while the tubing was inserted into her nose and liquids pumped into her stomach.
Some physicians called this battery
and torture
, while others claimed that the hospital was right to err on the side of continued life (Pence 65).
Bouvia appealed the lower court
ruling and lost. Now, in addition to the force-feeding, she was hooked up to a morphine drip to ease the pain of her arthritis. Eventually, she appealed again and this time the court ruled in her favour that the force-feeding constituted battery (Pence 68).
. She was still living in 2002.http://www.sclhealthsystem.org/about/mission_vision/ethical_issues/elizabeth_bouvia.htm In its obituary for USC professor Harlan Hahn, the Los Angeles Times on May 11, 2008, reported that Bouvia was still alive.
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
movement. Her case attracted nationwide attention in this area as well as in medical ethics
Medical ethics
Medical ethics is a system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology.-History:Historically,...
.
History
On September 3, 1983, Bouvia, at the age of 26, admitted herself into the psychiatric wardPsychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
of Riverside General Hospital
Riverside County Regional Medical Center
The Riverside County Regional Medical Center, or RCRMC, is a public hospital in Moreno Valley, California, United States, operated by the County of Riverside. It is classified as a Level II Adult & Pediatric Trauma Center....
in Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
. She was almost totally paralysed by cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
and had severe degenerative arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
, which caused her great pain
Pain
Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
.
Bouvia was alienated from her family and husband, and had been entertaining thoughts of suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. She requested hospital authorities to allow her to starve to death. When they refused and ordered her to be force-fed, Bouvia contacted the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
, which assigned her a lawyer. In the subsequent lawsuit, the court upheld the hospital's decision and ordered force-feeding
Force-feeding
Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a person or an animal against their will. "Gavage" is supplying a nutritional substance by means of a small plastic tube passed through the nose or mouth into the stomach, not explicitly 'forcibly'....
to continue (Pence 64-65).
Appeal
Following the court case, a bitter dispute broke out among physicians regarding the Bouvia case. Bouvia tried to resist the force-feeding by biting through the feeding tubeFeeding tube
A feeding tube is a medical device used to provide nutrition to patients who cannot obtain nutrition by swallowing. The state of being fed by a feeding tube is called gavage, enteral feeding or tube feeding...
. Four attendants would then hold her down while the tubing was inserted into her nose and liquids pumped into her stomach.
Some physicians called this battery
Battery (tort)
At common law, battery is the tort of intentionally and voluntarily bringing about an unconsented harmful or offensive contact with a person or to something closely associated with them . Unlike assault, battery involves an actual contact...
and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, while others claimed that the hospital was right to err on the side of continued life (Pence 65).
Bouvia appealed the lower court
Lower court
A lower court is a court from which an appeal may be taken. In relation to an appeal from one court to another, the lower court is the court whose decision is being reviewed, which may be the original trial court or an appellate court lower in rank than the superior court which is hearing the...
ruling and lost. Now, in addition to the force-feeding, she was hooked up to a morphine drip to ease the pain of her arthritis. Eventually, she appealed again and this time the court ruled in her favour that the force-feeding constituted battery (Pence 68).
Outcome
After the court case, Bouvia decided that she would live. In 1998, she appeared on 60 Minutes, saying that she was still in pain and had felt great pressure to continue living; she expressed the hope that she would soon die of natural causesDeath by natural causes
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza or a heart attack ...
. She was still living in 2002.http://www.sclhealthsystem.org/about/mission_vision/ethical_issues/elizabeth_bouvia.htm In its obituary for USC professor Harlan Hahn, the Los Angeles Times on May 11, 2008, reported that Bouvia was still alive.