GMC wins appeal to end life

Thursday, 28 July 2005 12:00 AM

Doctors will be able to withdraw artificial nutrition and hydration from terminally ill patients if they believe treatment causes more suffering than benefit, following a successful high court ruling.

The case was brought by the General Medical Council (GMC) after a judge backed the claim of Leslie Burke, who argued doctors should continue keeping patients alive if they have a living will setting out their wishes.

Mr Burke is suffering from a degenerative disease that will eventually rob him of his motor functions, including speech.

The GMC successfully argued the original ruling could force doctors to provide treatment even if they believed it was not in the best interests of patients. This upheld existing GMC guidelines.

GMC spokeswoman Sharon Burton said the terminally ill had "nothing to fear from the contents of our guidance".

The case could have major implications for the treatment of the terminally ill.

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