Court Opinion

ID: 9766901
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 05:02:10.78204+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:27.045831
License: Public Domain

WELLIVER, Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent and concur in the dissenting opinions of both Higgins, J. and Blackmar, J.
This case is not before us to establish groundwork for future right-to-life litigation. It is here to examine and determine Nancy Cruzan’s right to die under the federal and state constitutions, under our existing case law which requires us to defer to the facts as found below, and under the large body of precedent established by the courts of our sister states.
The principal opinion, states that “[n]one of the parties argue that Missouri’s Living Will statute applies in this case.” Cruzan v. Harmon v. McCanse, 760 S.W.2d 408, 420 (Mo. banc 1988). In this respect the parties are eminently correct. The opinion unnecessarily and by dictum seeks to place a mantle of constitutionality on the Missouri Living Will Statute, which statute in my opinion has been a fraud on the people of Missouri from the beginning and which statute, if directly attacked, must, in my opinion, be held to be unconstitutional.1
As pointed out in the principal opinion, Cruzan v. Harmon v. McCanse, 760 S.W.2d at 419 (Mo. banc 1988), the Missouri Living Will Statute is modeled after the Uniform Rights of the Terminally Ill Act (URITA), which provides,
§ 2 Declaration Relating to Use of Life-Sustaining Treatment
(a) An individual of sound mind and [18] or more years of age may execute at any time a declaration governing the withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment ...
URITA § 2(a).
§ 1 Definitions
As used in this [Act] unless the context otherwise requires:
(f) “Life-Sustaining treatment” means any medical procedure or intervention *442that, when administered to a qualified patient, will serve only to prolong the process of dying.
URITA § 1(4).
The Missouri Statute, like the Uniform Act does provide in § 459.015, RSMo 1986, that “[a]ny competent person may execute a declaration directing the withholding or withdrawal of death-prolonging procedures.” But, Missouri then defines “death-prolonging procedures” in § 459.010(3), RSMo 1986, as follows:
“Death-Prolonging procedure”, any medical procedure or intervention which, when applied to a patient, would serve only to prolong artificially the dying process and where, in the judgment of the attending physician pursuant to usual and customary medical standards, death will occur within a short time whether or not such procedure is utilized. Death-prolonging procedure shall not include the administration of medication or the performance of medical procedure deemed necessary to provide comfort care or to alleviate pain nor the performance of any procedure to provide nutrition or hydration.
Section 459.010(3), RSMo 1986 (Emphasis added).
Yes, we Missourians can sign an instrument directing the withholding or withdrawal of death-prolonging procedures, but, after the Missouri amendments, “death-prolonging procedure” does not include: (1) “the administration of medication,” (2) “the performance of medical procedure deemed necessary to provide comfort, care or to alleviate pain” (3) “the performance of any procedure to provide nutrition,” or (4) “the performance of any procedure to provide ... hydration.” If we cannot authorize withdrawing or withholding “medication,” “nutrition” or “hydration,” then what can we authorize to be withheld in Missouri? The Missouri Living Will Act is a fraud on Missourians who believe we have been given a right to execute a living will, and to die naturally, respectably, and in peace.
It has always been my belief that as a matter of court policy cases of great magnitude, cases that directly affect all of the people of the State, should never be heard or decided by other than the duly appointed regular members of the Supreme Court.2 Following the special setting of this case and several days prior to the special hearing, I raised this issue with the Court, obviously without success. The result that I feared and pointed out to the Court has now come to pass. It is deeply regrettable to me that an issue of this magnitude and importance to every citizen of the State is decided by the single vote of any special judge while the sitting members of the regular Court are evenly divided on this issue.
The great body of legal precedent, applied to the facts as properly found below, mandates that this case be affirmed. In the alternative, the Court should recognize what I believe to be the right of the people to have this case decided by the regular members of the Supreme Court. The submission should be set aside and the case reset for hearing before the regular and duly constituted members of the Court.3
DISSENT from order denying rehearing

. Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 93 S.Ct. 705, 35 L.Ed.2d 147 (1973) (affirmed the principle that a person has the right, as found in the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause, to control fundamental decisions involving his or her own body); Schmerber v. California, 384 U.S. 757, 772, 86 S.Ct. 1826, 1836, 16 L.Ed.2d 908 (1966) ("[t]he integrity of an individual’s person is a cherished value of our society’’); Rochin v. California, 342 U.S. 165, 174, 72 S.Ct. 205, 210, 96 L.Ed. 183 (1952) (forced stomach pumping “offensive to human dignity”); Union Pac. Ry. Co. v. Botsford, 141 U.S. 250, 251, 11 S.Ct. 1000, 1001, 35 L.Ed. 734 (1891) (”[n]o right is held more sacred, or is more carefully guarded, by the common law, than the right of every individual to the possession and control of his own person, free from all restraint or interference of others, unless by clear and unquestionable authority of law.”).

. In a case where there is a tie vote of the regular members of the court the result below should be affirmed. Durant v. Essex Co., 74 U.S. (7 Wall) 107, 19 L.Ed. 154 (1868) (a reversal could not be had if the judges were divided, therefore, the judgment of the court below stood in full force); In re Albany Bridge Case, 69 U.S. (2 Wall) 403, 17 L.Ed. 876 (1864) (the court being equally divided, the decree was affirmed by necessity); Etting v. Bank of U.S., 24 U.S. (11 Wheat) 59, 6 L.Ed. 419 (1826) (the judgment was affirmed where the Court was evenly divided).

. While it might be argued that nothing about Nancy’s condition requires expediting the case, only a court without compassion could ignore the continuing agonizing pain and suffering of Nancy’s family. Barring death or sudden illness, there is no reason why we should not have a full regular court for the balance of the year and our docket is not so heavy as to preclude the rehearing of one specially set case.