AnOther Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 A slightly morbid topic I'm afraid but both myself and 'er indoors have been thinking about "living wills" and wondered if such a thing exists in France ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 I have found this...Jagannadha Rao M. Legal issues relating to the limitation of life support - A review of the international legal position. Indian J Crit Care Med [serial online] 2005 [cited 2007 Feb 12];9:115-119. Available from: http://www.ijccm.org/article.asp?issn=0972-5229;year=2005;volume=9;issue=2;spage=115;epage=119;aulast=JagannadhaFrance recently adopted a law 'granting terminally ill patients the right to end their life'. The Act allows doctors to stop giving medical assistance when it 'has no effect other than maintaining life artificially.' It stops short of permitting euthanasia, because the Act does not allow the doctor actively to end a patient's life. The new law enables the families to request the withdrawal of life support for unconscious patients. It also allows the administration of painkillers to patients, who are not unconscious, but who have chosen to end their treatment, even if these drugs might hasten death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted February 12, 2007 Author Share Posted February 12, 2007 [quote user="Cat"]...It also allows the administration of painkillers to patients, who are not unconscious, but who have chosen to end their treatment, even if these drugs might hasten death.[/quote]Thanks for that.Eerily topical as there was a piece on the CH4 news today featuring a woman who wanted the doctors to up her painkillers in the knowledge that it probably would kill her but because she had said she wanted to end her life they wouldn't do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwyncelyn Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 ErneY the case you talk about is of course going to the High Court then I think it will be all the way to the Court of Appeal and then to the House of Lords. It is such an emotive issue and in this regard the United Bristol Health Care Trust say that to do what the patient suggests is to assist in a suicide and that is a crime! Suicide per se is not a crime but to assist in one is?It is such a sad sad case and in an interview the person involved argued logically strongly and intelligently for her cause. Really got to one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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