Show Summary Details
Medical Law ConcentrateLaw Revision and Study Guide

Medical Law Concentrate: Law Revision and Study Guide (4th edn)

Jo Samanta and Ash Samanta
Page of

Printed from Oxford Law Trove. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 04 June 2023

p. 1569. The end of lifelocked

p. 1569. The end of lifelocked

  • Jo SamantaJo SamantaEmeritus Professor of Law, De Montfort University
  •  and Ash SamantaAsh SamantaEmeritus Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist, University Hospitals of Leicester, and Part-Time Lecturer in Law, De Montfort University

Abstract

This chapter deals with key legal and ethical issues surrounding end-of-life decisions, with particular reference to physician-assisted death, such as euthanasia. Suicide and assisted suicide, administration of pain relief, and futility are considered. Relevant legislation such as the Suicide Act 1961 (as amended by the Coroners and Justice Act 2009), the Human Rights Act 1998, and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 are discussed. The chapter examines several bioethical principles, including sanctity-of-life and quality-of-life debates; autonomy, beneficence, and medical paternalism; personhood, palliative care, and the double effect doctrine. Finally, it considers human rights issues, treatment requests, incompetent patients, prolonged disorders of consciousness, and locked-in syndrome. Recent cases are considered.

You do not currently have access to this chapter

Sign in

Please sign in to access the full content.

Subscribe

Access to the full content requires a subscription