MovieChat Forums > My Sister's Keeper (2009) Discussion > Why didn't Kate just fight for her OWN m...

Why didn't Kate just fight for her OWN medical emancipation?

posted 11 years ago by sexykitten0814
10 replies | jump to latest

It's been awhile since I've seen this movie to entirety so I could be forgetting some details, but as I remember, it was shown the reason Anna fought for the rights to her own body wasn't for herself after all, but was actually Kate's idea because she wanted to be allowed to die in peace. Certainly, I think, after all Kate had been through, she deserved the right to die with dignity, but why ask Anna to create a situation that caused animosity between herself and her parents when surely Kate could have gone to court herself and sued for her own right to refuse anymore treatment for her illness? Even if the truth had never come out and Kate had still been alive after Anna won the case, Sara probably still wouldn't have given up on finding a donor kidney, and one very well could have become available. No doubt she then would insist Kate have the transplant. Even without being able to rely on Anna, Sara never would have accepted the reality that she couldn't save her dying daughter and who could blame her? It seems it would have made more sense for Kate to be the one to pursue the right to make her own medical decisions rather than Anna.

[–] just_a_rascal 11 years ago

Wouldn't be much of a story if Picoult had done that. No twist.

[–] zIpPeRhEaD 11 years ago

also prolly because of the meds she was always on

they could have claimed she was not in her right mind
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have a zIpPiTy doo dah day!............

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Augustus_Octavian 10 years ago

She may not be up to the fight.

[–] rosek102 10 years ago

Agreed. She was clearly very sick and weak throughout the movie...barely able to sit up, let alone pursue a grueling court case.

[–] actionmanrandell 10 years ago

simple reason. Kate was sick and as such any such actions would be scrutinized because of her illness it would be argued that Kate is not thinking rationally because of her illness. her mother would simply have to say that since she has cancer her mind has been worn down by all the medical procedures and as such she is not medically competent to decide not o have the medical treatments. No judge would vote in favor of her but with Anna she is a perfectly healthy girl who could argue that if she continued being her sisters keeper her health would spiral out of control which is exactly what was stated in the movie it was said that if she donated to her sister she would have to be cautious for the rest of her life and her lawyer was arguing that it would not be fare to force her into a situation like that

[–] hayleythorpe95 9 years ago

Her mom never would've listened. Notice how every time Kate tried to stick up for Anna that their mom just talked over her?

[–] ricky_says_hi 9 years ago

Perhaps Kate also didn't want to upset her mother. She was the 'saintly good daughter' showered with affection and essentially her mother's raison d'etre. Perhaps she just didn't want to destroy that image in Sara's eyes. Alternately she knows that Anna has been forced to go along with what other people say her whole life. So she wants her little sister to stand up for herself and fight her own battle.

[–] hppg 8 years ago

1. She didn't want to upset the mother (although, IMO, this is a little selfish getting the little sister to upset the mother instead and nearly ruining everything)
2. She would have had a worse chance at seeking emancipation (pretty hard for a minor to do so to refuse treatment, and I imagine it would be harder than healthy Anna)
3. I also don't think she thought it through very well (but then as someone who was sick and still a child that's not necessarily surprising - no matter what she'd done I don't think she'd thought of the long term consequences)

[–] batman6 (746) 8 years ago

Sara simply didn't care. The whole was just an excuse to hurt them for giggles.