Woman, 32, Dies After Battle to End Life Support

MORRISTOWN, N.J. —  A 32-year-old woman died Friday, two weeks after her family won the right to remove the feeding tube that had kept her alive for seven years.

Attorney Paul W. Armstrong, who represented the family of Nancy Ellen Jobes in their battle to get the life-sustaining device removed, said the woman died at Morristown Memorial Hospital.

Jobes was 4 1/2 months’ pregnant when she was involved in an auto accident in 1980. During surgery to remove the dead fetus after the accident, Jobes went into a coma-like state.

Hospital spokeswoman Peggy Carroll said she did not know if Jobes was actually in a coma, and she would not release the names of the doctors. She said Jobes could open her eyes and had “sleep stages,” but she said her ability to detect visitors was “debatable.”

Until July, Jobes had lived at the Lincoln Park Nursing Home, where officials refused to allow the feeding tube to be pulled despite the family’s request. Family members contended that Jobes had said she would never want to be kept alive by artificial means.

Last month, Jobes was moved to Morristown Memorial Hospital, and the state Supreme Court ruled that her feeding tube could be removed.

The state court reaffirmed a patient’s right to die if the patient made it known that he or she did not wish to be kept alive.