Man wins battle to keep receiving life support: Pro-choice living wills are essential

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7464.515

BMJ 2004;329:515 (28 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7464.515

Letter

Man wins battle to keep receiving life support

Pro-choice living wills are essential

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Leslie Burke's High Court case shows how necessaryit is today to develop extensively the concept of the pro-choiceliving will.¹

In the past, the typical living will (also known as an advancedirective, an advance refusal, or an advance statement) onlyallowed patients to refuse medical interventions or treatmentswhich were aimed at prolonging or sustaining life. Opponentsof such living wills could condemn these documents as suicidallymotivated refusals of medical treatment.

In 1999, when being interviewed by Clare Dyer, for the BMJ,I said that, "Of course (a living will) could be written tostate that one wants to stay alive with life prolonging measuresfor as long as possible."²

Recently, Friends At The End (11 Westbourne Gardens, GlasgowG12 9XD) produced a pro-choice living will, which can be usedequally well by those who traditionally have not wanted life-prolongingcare as well as . . . [Full text of this article]

Michael H K Irwin, retired general practitioner

Hove BN3 3EH michael-hk.irwin@virgin.net