Living wills put on statutory footing

A new framework for taking decisions on behalf of mentally incompetent people is likely to be enacted in England and Wales, along lines originally recommended by the Law Commission in 1995.

The government, which has issued a new consultation paper, is taking up proposals left on the shelf by the previous (Conservative) government, amid controversy over whether they would lead to euthanasia. The proposals would put so-called living wills, or advance directives on medical treatment, already held to be enforceable by the courts, on a statutory footing.

The …