Draft:Rudy Linares Case

Rodolfo "Rudy" Linares Sr. (17 Sep 1965 – 17 Dec 2005 ) was a 23 year old Chicago house painter who in April 1989 held nurses at bay at gunpoint and disconnected the respirator keeping his comatose infant alive.

Hospital incident
Eight months earlier Rudy's infant son Samuel had accidentally swallowed a plastic balloon. Samuel survived however was in a persistent vegetative state kept alive via respirator. After eight months the family had requested that Samuel be allowed to die, the doctors agreed however the hospital's lawyer advised against it due to potential criminal charges.

Linares entered the hospital on April 26th with a gun and proceeded to the bed where Samuel lay. Holding the medical staff at bay he disconnected the respirator and cradled the infant in his arms for approximately 20 minutes until a nearby doctor confirmed Samuel had passed away. Rudy then handed himself over to police.

Murder case
The Cook County state attorney`s office referred the case to a grand jury. Under a deal that was struck Rudy pleaded guilty to a weapons charge misdemeanor while the jury delivered a not guilty verdict.

Circuit Judge Robert Bastone noted to Linares, "As far as punishment is concerned, I think you have suffered enough."

Right to die debate
Dr Goldman, a doctor residing over Samuel at the time stated that "There was no ethical difference of opinion here. The physicians agreed that the child was in an irreversible coma and would not recover. There was no medical opposition to removing the ventilator. What we faced was a legal obstacle.”

Moral Philosopher Peter Singer discussed the Linares case in his book 1994 Rethinking Life and Death as a real world example of the Right to Die debate. Singer argued that while Rudy acted against the law and prevailing moral ethic, he did so to cease human suffering of not just Samuel but the wider Linares family.