Advance directives—also called living wills—will have to specify clearly the treatments a patient is refusing, under improvements announced last week to legislation which will put them on a statutory footing.

The constitutional affairs minister, Lord Filkin, outlined a range of changes to the Mental Incapacity Bill after recommendations by interest groups and by a parliamentary committee scrutinising the bill.

Michael Schiavo is fighting to have the feeding tube removed from his wife, Terri, who has been in a coma in Flo rida for 13 years. Living wills should make such cases unnecessary

Credit: CHRIS …