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.'