[Patients' wills: legal aspects]. 1990

C Brückner

A unilateral written declaration in which someone expresses his or her will to die under certain circumstances is legally valid and binding on third persons who may have knowledge of this declaration, provided that the declaration contains only prohibitions and no orders to positive action, provided it has been written by an adult person not under the influence of error, fear or mental incapacity, provided also that the declaration is not in contradiction with the expression of actual desire to live, such as expression of hunger, thirst or fear of death, and provided finally that the declaration is not in contradiction with what has to be assumed as the future desire of the patient to live once he awakes from his present unconsciousness. Other instructions in the declaration, such as the desire to receive medicaments in lethal quantities, deprivation of artificial nutrition once the person no longer recognizes his relatives, or refusing of reanimation if future dependence on other people's help can be foreseen, are legally invalid.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008020 Life Support Care Care provided patients requiring extraordinary therapeutic measures in order to sustain and prolong life. Extraordinary Treatment,Prolongation of Life,Care, Life Support,Extraordinary Treatments,Life Prolongation,Treatment, Extraordinary,Treatments, Extraordinary
D012151 Resuscitation The restoration to life or consciousness of one apparently dead. (Dorland, 27th ed) Resuscitations
D004992 Ethics, Medical The principles of professional conduct concerning the rights and duties of the physician, relations with patients and fellow practitioners, as well as actions of the physician in patient care and interpersonal relations with patient families. Medical Ethics
D005066 Euthanasia, Passive Failing to prevent death from natural causes, for reasons of mercy by the withdrawal or withholding of life-prolonging treatment. Allowing to Die,Euthanasia, Negative,Negative Euthanasia,Passive Euthanasia
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012297 Right to Die The right of the patient or the patient's representative to make decisions with regard to the patient's dying. Death with Dignity,Dignity, Death with
D013557 Switzerland A country in Europe. It is bordered by Austria, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, and Germany. The capital is Bern.

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