Michael was not Catholic. He received a special dispensation to marry Terri after the couple received prenuptial counseling.
I'll be back after "the man" looks this stuff over.
"Karen Ann Quinlan died June 11, 1985."
It looks like the movie was made in 1977 -- "In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan." It seems reasonable to me that a repeat would be on in 1981. Karen Quinlan lived for a long time after she was taken off the ventilator.
"Michael was not Catholic. He received a special dispensation to marry Terri after the couple received prenuptial counseling."
Normally, you don't need a special dispensation to marry a non-Catholic, unless there are special circumstances. There are certain things the nonCatholic must agree to (mainly allow the children to be raised Catholic), but other than that, it is very common for a non-Catholic and Catholic to marry. In order to marry in the Catholic Church, a Catholic must marry someone that is baptized.