[Alberta's Child]

I don't really care what the exact term in the statute is. Under Florida law, an "artificial" form of medical treatment can be terminated even if it causes the death of the patient.

[Balata]

I agree with you. Most sane people would not define artificial as food and water. This was obviously done to fit an agenda.

[unbalanced but fair]

Where have you been? That's been the law in many states since the Nancy Cruzan and Karen Quinlan cases.

[McGavin999]

The purpose of the law was to keep doctors from force feeding terminal patients. When someone is in end stages of cancer, for instance, they don't want to eat and it makes them sick to drink. They will frequently begin to refuse food and water at that point. Their pain is severe and even medication no longer works effectively. The law was intended to keep doctors from keeping these people alive, and in pain, at this stage.

If you have watched someone die of cancer, you have seen this happen, even if they did not have a feeding tube. All you can do is stand helplessly beside them and try to put ice into their mouths.