Relatives of seriously ill patients should trawl through their emails and Facebook posts to check if they want to die, according to new medical guidelines
By Steve Doughty, Mailonline:
Doctors have advised relatives of desperately ill patients to trawl through their emails and Facebook posts to check whether they want to die.
They said old messages could indicate whether someone would prefer not to live on with a disease or injury that leaves them unable to speak. An email or web post could lead to medics turning off life support machines.
The British Medical Association guidance follows a test case in which a High Court judge said a 74-year-old woman in a coma should be allowed to die because of an email she sent.
The woman’s daughter produced a message, referring to her father who had dementia, stating: ‘Get the pillow ready if I get that way.’
The suggestion to families to search emails, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram messages is contained in BMA guidance on what to do if a close relative is desperately ill.
Last night it was branded ‘ill-judged’ by a doctors’ group which opposes euthanasia and ‘mercy killing’.
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
