Emancipation Analysis in My Sister’s Keeper

Emancipation—in this context—is the legal process by which a minor is granted the same rights to make their own decisions as an adult. In most cases, parents are able to make major decisions on behalf of their child, but a court may grant emancipation to a minor when there is evidence that their parents do not have their best interests in mind. In My Sister’s Keeper, Anna is specifically suing for medical emancipation, but emancipation as a status usually encompasses decisions beyond the medical.

Emancipation Quotes in My Sister’s Keeper

The My Sister’s Keeper quotes below are all either spoken by Emancipation or refer to Emancipation. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

I tap my pen on the desk, and Judge—my dog—sidles closer. “What happens if you don’t give your sister a kidney?”

“She’ll die.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Anna’s mouth is set in a thin line. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are. I’m just trying to figure out what made you want to put your foot down, after all this time.”

She looks over at the bookshelf. “Because,” she says simply, “it never stops.”

Related Characters: Andromeda “Anna” Fitzgerald (speaker), Campbell Alexander (speaker), Kate Fitzgerald

Page Number and Citation: 22

Explanation and Analysis:

Emancipation Term Timeline in My Sister’s Keeper

The timeline below shows where the term Emancipation appears in My Sister’s Keeper. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...he quickly hands over the papers and leaves. The document is Anna’s petition for medical emancipation. Sara moves to confront Anna, but Kate is suddenly overwhelmed with pain and cries for... (full context)

...judge tells her that there doesn’t have to be if her parents agree to medical emancipation—but Anna knows this won’t ever happen. Otherwise, since Anna has filed a petition, her parents... (full context)

...blinded by their care for Kate, but she wonders if Anna actually cares about medical emancipation or if she just wants her parents to hear her. Together, the two of them... (full context)

...present, Julia explains how, when she first accepted this assignment, she initially thought that medical emancipation was the best choice. The easy part of the decision is determining that, physiologically, donating... (full context)

...all the answers, and she doesn’t know what she would do if Anna was granted emancipation. What she does know, she says, is that although she does not know if her... (full context)

...closing statement. He argues that the case is not really about bodily autonomy or medical emancipation, but about Anna herself, who is on the cusp of becoming her own person and... (full context)

...in a position to make a decision about it. He states that the premise behind emancipation is simple: you don’t take something without asking. With that, he grants Anna medical emancipation... (full context)

My Sister’s Keeper

Jodi Picoult

Emancipation Term Analysis

Emancipation Quotes in My Sister’s Keeper

Emancipation Term Timeline in My Sister’s Keeper