Karen Ann Quinlan

Julia and Joseph Quinlan remember their daughter as a vibrant tomboy who taught her younger brother to wrestle, a young woman with a beautiful voice who dreamed of being a singer. Most Americans recall Karen Ann Quinlan as the comatose woman in a black-and-white photograph published around the world, whose life on a ventilator led to the nation's first major right-to-die case.

Julia and Joseph Quinlan remember their daughter as a vibrant tomboy who taught her younger brother to wrestle, a young woman with a beautiful voice who dreamed of being a singer. Most Americans recall Karen Ann Quinlan as the comatose woman in a black-and-white photograph published around the world, whose life on a ventilator led to the nation's first major right-to-die case.

Conrad's cartoon with regard to Karen Ann Quinlan was repugnant. LARRY W. STENGELSEN Long Beach

The case of Bonnie Tomaszewski ("Intravenous Feedings Can Be Cut Off, Judge Rules," May 19) is not the same as the case of Karen Ann Quinlan. Karen Ann Quinlan's parents wanted artificial life support cut off, but they were not so barbarous as to ask for permission to starve their daughter. Removing mechanical breathing tubes is a medical decision of an entirely different order than refusing to provide food and water. I hope Bonnie Tomaszewski's parents, who want to save their daughter from what they accurately describe as "a long, ugly, painful way to die," prevail over her husband.

The case of Bonnie Tomaszewski ("Intravenous Feedings Can Be Cut Off, Judge Rules," May 19) is not the same as the case of Karen Ann Quinlan. Karen Ann Quinlan's parents wanted artificial life support cut off, but they were not so barbarous as to ask for permission to starve their daughter. Removing mechanical breathing tubes is a medical decision of an entirely different order than refusing to provide food and water. I hope Bonnie Tomaszewski's parents, who want to save their daughter from what they accurately describe as "a long, ugly, painful way to die," prevail over her husband.

A priest Friday eulogized Karen Ann Quinlan as an "ordinary young woman" who brought the world's mind to bear on such deep concerns as "the right to die" and "death with dignity." Monsignor Thomas Trapasso said Quinlan's life was not only in God's hands but "also the hands of men and their technology." Quinlan, 31, who died Tuesday night after spending 10 years in a coma, was buried after a one-hour funeral Mass at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church.

Karen Ann Quinlan, who lapsed into a coma a decade ago and prompted a historic right-to-die court decision after her parents sought to have her disconnected from a respirator, died Tuesday in her mother's arms. She was 31. She died of pneumonia at 7:01 p.m. at the Morris View Home, Dr. James Wolf said. "They were silent, subdued. They had tears in their eyes," he said of Joseph and Julia Quinlan.

Karen Ann Quinlan's parents said Wednesday that they were at peace because their daughter "died in a natural state," in her mother's arms, preserving to the end the dignity won for her in a landmark court case. The family went into seclusion after Miss Quinlan's death at 31-- ending a decade in a coma--again brought attention to their successful fight to remove her from a respirator. "Please let us mourn in peace," Julia Quinlan said in a brief interview at the family's home Wednesday morning.

It is time, her family says, for Anna Hirth to die. Hirth, 92, lies in a coma in a La Mesa nursing home. Her condition has changed little since February, when she choked on some food and suffered brain damage before she could be resuscitated. For 10 years before that, the once-vivacious woman--a domineering powerhouse described by her sister as "a typical Jewish mother"--had been deteriorating physically and mentally, a victim of old age and Alzheimer's disease.

Joseph T. Quinlan, whose legal crusade to allow his daughter Karen Ann to "die with dignity" thrust him into the national spotlight, has died. He was 71. Quinlan, a former pharmaceutical employee, died Saturday of cancer. His care had been supervised by the Karen Ann Quinlan Center of Hope, the Newton hospice which Quinlan and his wife, Julia, helped start with proceeds from a book and television movie about their daughter's case.

It is time, her family says, for Anna Hirth to die. Hirth, 92, lies in a coma in a La Mesa nursing home. Her condition has changed little since February, when she choked on some food and suffered brain damage before she could be resuscitated. For 10 years before that, the once-vivacious woman--a domineering powerhouse described by her sister as "a typical Jewish mother"--had been deteriorating physically and mentally, a victim of old age and Alzheimer's disease.

Conrad's work of art (June 13) on the death of Karen Ann Quinlan was so touching it brought tears. He outdid himself this time. I do hope he sent the original to the Quinlan family. It would be a precious gift I'm sure they would treasure. LUELLA COWLES McKINNEY West Covina

A priest Friday eulogized Karen Ann Quinlan as an "ordinary young woman" who brought the world's mind to bear on such deep concerns as "the right to die" and "death with dignity." Monsignor Thomas Trapasso said Quinlan's life was not only in God's hands but "also the hands of men and their technology." Quinlan, 31, who died Tuesday night after spending 10 years in a coma, was buried after a one-hour funeral Mass at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church.

Karen Ann Quinlan's parents said Wednesday that they were at peace because their daughter "died in a natural state," in her mother's arms, preserving to the end the dignity won for her in a landmark court case. The family went into seclusion after Miss Quinlan's death at 31-- ending a decade in a coma--again brought attention to their successful fight to remove her from a respirator. "Please let us mourn in peace," Julia Quinlan said in a brief interview at the family's home Wednesday morning.

Karen Ann Quinlan, who lapsed into a coma a decade ago and prompted a historic right-to-die court decision after her parents sought to have her disconnected from a respirator, died Tuesday in her mother's arms. She was 31. She died of pneumonia at 7:01 p.m. at the Morris View Home, Dr. James Wolf said. "They were silent, subdued. They had tears in their eyes," he said of Joseph and Julia Quinlan.

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.