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Where the patient's advance decision relates to a refusal of potentially life-saving or life prolonging treatment, this must be recorded in writing and witnessed. Any advance refusal is legally binding, providing that the patient is an adult, the patient was competent and properly informed when reaching the prior decision.
In a 5–4 decision, the Court affirmed the earlier ruling of the Supreme Court of Missouri and ruled in favor of the State of Missouri, finding it was acceptable to require "clear and convincing evidence" of a patient's wishes for removal of life support. A significant outcome of the case was the creation of advance health directives.
The right to accept or refuse medical treatment; The right to make an advance health care directive; Facilities must inquire as to whether the patient already has an advance health care directive, and make note of this in their medical records. Facilities must provide education to their staff and affiliates about advance health care directives.
Passive euthanasia is legal, by way of advance decisions giving patients the right to refuse life saving treatment. [179] Food and liquid can also be withdrawn from someone in a permanent vegetative state without the need for court approval. [180]
According to the British Government, every adult with mental capacity has the right to agree to or refuse medical treatment. [66] To make their advance wishes clear, people can use a living will, which can include general statements about wishes, which are not legally binding, and specific refusals of treatment called "advance decisions" or ...
The 1991 Patient Self-Determination Act passed by the US Congress at the request of the financial arm of Medicare does permit elderly Medicare/Medicaid patients (and by implication, all "terminal" patients) to prepare an advance directive in which they elect or choose to refuse life-extending and/or life-saving treatments as a means of ...
The surrogate decision maker must be a trusted individual that is able to make crucial decisions on behalf of the advance directive client. The advance directive should also indicate specific instructions for when a patient is incapacitated. Treatment options should be examined and discussed with a physician, attorney, and family
Physicians who are in favor of euthanasia state that to keep euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (PAS) illegal is a violation of patient freedoms. They believe that any competent terminally-ill patient should have the right to choose death or refuse life-saving treatment.