British doctors seek clarification of right-to-life ruling News
British doctors seek clarification of right-to-life ruling

[JURIST] Britain's General Medical Council [official website], the body that registers and regulates British doctors, went to court Monday [official statement] to clarify a 2004 ruling on a patient's right to treatment. Leslie Burke [advocacy website], who suffers from a degenerative brain disorder, obtained [BBC report] a July court order [PDF file] stating that if patients such as himself are no longer able to communicate their wishes, doctors must judge what the patient would want. The GMC objects [reasons for appeal] not to Burke's case specifically, but rather to implications of the order, which they say could force doctors to provide care which may serve no benefit or even harm a patient. Bloomberg has more.