Jules made a decision to stop life support and set a date three months ahead. But Jules never wavered. Jules felt energized and free after he'd made the decision. Rabinowitz struggled with her conscience. Quill maintains that Jules's case was on clear legal ground.
Patients have the right to refuse treatment, even if they die as a result.
If the doctor removes life support and the patient dies of the underlying disease, the law does not consider that a physician-assisted suicide. Yet such acts provoke intense controversy. Others believe you're letting nature take its course. I think people of good will can differ on this. When the day that Jules had chosen arrived, he invited his closest friends to be with him and his family.