My daughter was 19 when she was hit by a car. I learned too late that I had no medical authority.

"One afternoon during her senior year in 2017, my 18-year-old high schooler, Baylie Grogan, spoke to me in a serious tone. "The only thing worse than dying is living in a body that doesn't work," she said. "Promise me you won't ever let me live that way." It was shortly before she left home to start college as a pre-med student. "I promise," I replied, agreeing that such a predicament would be horrifying, and I wouldn't want it either."

"We were her next of kin My husband, Scott, and I had no say in the life-or-death medical decisions affecting Baylie, who was given a 1% chance of survival after being struck by a car. Despite being her next of kin, we were obliged to defer to the ethics committees of two hospitals because she was legally an adult at the age of 19."

A mother promised her 18-year-old daughter that she would never allow her to live in a nonfunctioning body. The daughter, Baylie Grogan, was a happy, considerate, academically gifted pre-med student who loved animals and planned to help others. She chose the University of Miami for its equestrian program and completed a productive freshman year. The following year she sustained catastrophic brain injuries after being struck by a car and was given a 1% chance of survival. Although the parents were next of kin, hospital ethics committees controlled life-or-death decisions because Baylie was legally an adult at 19. The parents felt they could not represent Baylie's wishes.

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