Man wins battle to keep receiving life support

Editor—Leslie Burke's High Court case shows how necessary it is today to develop extensively the concept of the pro-choice living will.¹

In the past, the typical living will (also known as an advance directive, an advance refusal, or an advance statement) only allowed patients to refuse medical interventions or treatments which were aimed at prolonging or sustaining life. Opponents of such living wills could condemn these documents as suicidally motivated 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 to state that one wants to stay alive with life prolonging measures for as long as possible.”²

Recently, Friends At The End (11 Westbourne Gardens, Glasgow G12 9XD) produced a pro-choice living will, which can be used equally well by those who traditionally have not wanted life-prolonging care as well as by those people, like Mr Burke, who want medical treatment to be given to prolong their lives for as long as possible.

I believe all medical and nursing personnel should make a living will, setting an example for others to follow, because this could be of great value some day to their personal doctors, family, and friends.