Right to life ruling challenged
The General Medical Council today begins its challenge of a landmark ruling that allows a terminally ill patient to decide his own treatment.
Leslie Burke, 45, last July won the right to continue being given life-prolonging treatment even when he can no longer communicate that this is what he wants.
Mr Burke, from Lancaster, suffers from a brain condition that will see his physical actions degenerate but his mental faculties remain intact.
The judge in the original case said the GMC’s rules should be redrafted to give patients the right to decide what was in their best interests, with a presumption in favour of life.
However, the GMC wants clearer guidance on how doctors should treat patients who have given no prior instructions about treatment and on how the judgement affects other forms of life-prolonging treatment, such as antibiotics or respiratory intervention.
