Q: Missouri family wants brain dead relative taken off life support, but wife will not comply. What can the family do?
A man was recently in a car accident that left him brain dead (with no hope of recovery). He is currently on life support and the family has decided that it's in his best interest to be taken off life support. Unfortunately, because he is married, his wife is the one who has to make the call. Against the family's wishes, the wife will not take him off life support and will allow to him "live" as a vegetable. She has also barred the doctors from sharing any information regarding his condition to anyone without a password (which she will not provide to his family). What legal options are available to the family to overrule this?
A:
Sorry to hear about this.
The family should talk to a health care of guardianship lawyer about their rights and options. If the wife can be shown to be mentally unfit to make decisions, it may be possible to have someone else appointed to that capacity.
It might also make sense to discuss the accident with an injury lawyer. Was someone at fault for the car accident (another driver, potential product defect, etc.)?
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