Posted on 06/01/2005 2:30:04 AM PDT by FairOpinion
Burke has launched a legal battle in Britain that has far-reaching medical and ethical implications, raising questions about patient autonomy, doctor responsibility and resources. His case, simply put, is that he demands that the state give him nutrition and water to stay alive once he is no longer able to feed himself, even if the quality of his life might seem poor to an outsider.
The lawsuit plays into the worldwide debate, especially since the Terry Schiavo case in the United States, about when life should be sustained and when it can be allowed to end.
"I think the Leslie Burke case is the most important bioethical lawsuit that I'm aware of in the world today," said Wesley Smith, an anti-euthanasia activist who advised Schiavo's parents before the death of the brain-damaged woman and is based at the Discovery Institute, a conservative think tank in Seattle.
Burke has launched a legal battle in Britain that has far-reaching medical and ethical implications, raising questions about patient autonomy, doctor responsibility and resources. His case, simply put, is that he demands that the state give him nutrition and water to stay alive once he is no longer able to feed himself, even if the quality of his life might seem poor to an outsider.
The lawsuit plays into the worldwide debate, especially since the Terry Schiavo case in the United States, about when life should be sustained and when it can be allowed to end.
"I think the Leslie Burke case is the most important bioethical lawsuit that I'm aware of in the world today," said Wesley Smith, an anti-euthanasia activist who advised Schiavo's parents before the death of the brain-damaged woman and is based at the Discovery Institute, a conservative think tank in Seattle.
(Excerpt) Read more at concordmonitor.com ...
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