Feeding Tube for Woman May Be Cut Off, Judge Rules

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — A feeding tube that has kept a brain-damaged woman alive for six years may be disconnected, a judge ruled Wednesday in granting the wishes of the woman’s husband and parents.

Superior Court Judge Arnold M. Stein cited two previous right-to-die cases in his decision, including the one in 1976 that established the right of “death with dignity” for coma victim Karen Ann Quinlan.

But Stein also said that Nancy Ellen Jobes, 31, must remain connected to the feeding tube for 20 days in order to give the Lincoln Park Nursing and Convalescent Center time to appeal.