Brophy v. New England Mt. Sinai Hospital, Inc.

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: SC181-BROP

Staff Only

Content Description

This collection contains materials pertaining to the Brophy v. New England Mount Sinai Hospital, Inc. court case in Massachusetts. Materials include briefs, reports and testimony submitted to the court during the original trial as well as during the appeals process. There are copies of the trial transcripts of the original trial held in May of 1985, the original judgement, and the Masschusetts Supreme Judicial decision. Finally, there are materials related aftermath of the case such as the Massachusetts Patients Right to Die Bill. Materials in the collection are arranged in chronological order.

Dates

Creation: 1985-1986
Creation: 1990

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions

Conditions Governing Use

Materials believed to be under copyright or other restrictions are available for limited noncommercial, educational and personal use only, or for fair use as defined by United States copyright law and with proper citation. Please note that the College of the Holy Cross may not hold the rights to all items in this collection. Users assume responsibility for identifying all copyright holders and for determining whether permission is needed to make any use of the content. For permission under rights held by the College, please contact archives@holycross.edu.

Historical Note

Brophy v. New England Mt. Sinai Hospital, Inc. was a Massachusetts court case in which the plaintiff, Patricia Brophy, sued New England Sinai Hospital to end life sustaining treatment for her husband, Paul Brophy. Paul Brophy was in a persistent vegetative state after a brain aneurysm and doctors at the hospital refused to remove his feeding tube. The case began at the Norfolk Probate and Family Court before Judge David H. Kopelman in May of 1985. In 1986, it was heard by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The case argued the two sides of the right-to die. Two Jesuits were expert witnesses. Rev. John J. Paris, SJ, a former professor at Holy Cross, was an expert witness for the plaintiff while Rev. John Connery, SJ was the expert witness for the opposing argument. Frank E. Reardon, class of 1975, represented the Brophy family during the proceedings. Ultimately, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a 4-3 decision.