Replies

Here is the exchange and URL I referred to earlier:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1367855/posts?page=1401#1401 <-- Link

MineralMan: It depends where you are. In most states, the next of kin can cancel life support after consultation with the physician. It happens every day. A young person is in a car accident and is brain dead. Parents have to make a decision about maintaining their body in a lifelike state. Most decide to let the son or daughter die and remove the life support. Same with parents. Every day, in hospitals all over this country, children make decisions about life support for their parents, whether there's a living will or not. Surely you know this.
Cboldt: The subject isn't brain dead people. It is PVS (and as you know, that diagnosis is contested .. but even if it was not), and the law is different then. As far as I know, the law looks for an Advance Directive from the living patient. THis is different from looking for the advanced directive of a brain dead patient. Cboldt: So, do you have a cite for the proposition that somebody other than the PATIENT has a legal right to decide, when the PATIENT is in PVS? I understand that state laws may differ on that point. State law in Florida give the power (to decide) to the PATIENT and NOBODY ELSE

Thought you might find that useful, because we are not looking for a general proposition about "removing life support" for an otherwise terminal patient. We are talking about provoking the demise of a patient based on our perception of their mental capaicty and our belief about whether they would choose to commit suicide because they are in that diminished capacity.