British Medical Association
Policy
At the British Medical Association’s
Annual Representative Meeting on the 1st July 2004 the following
policy statement was approved:
“That this Meeting believes
that patients who lose their capacity but who have indicated
in advance that they wish to receive artificial hydration and
nutrition should have their wishes respected”.
This expands on the more general
statement Medical Ethics Today (2nd edition) update on page 353
of Medical Ethics Today that: 'If the patient is known to have
held the view that there is intrinsic value in being alive, then
life-prolonging treatment would, in virtually all cases, provide
a net benefit for that particular individual.'
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