 |  |  | your rights
| "A valid advance refusal of treatment has the same legal authority as a contemporaneous refusal and legal action could be taken against a doctor who provides treatment in the face of a valid refusal" - British Medical Association Guidelines |
refusal of life sustaining treatment
In the pro-choice Living Will you can set out what medical treatment you wish to refuse - you may wish to refuse antibiotics, tube feeding or you may not want to be resuscitated.
A refusal of treatment contained in the pro-choice Living Will is legally binding provided that at the time you sign it you:-
- have the mental capacity to make the medical decisions contained in the Living Will;
- you understand the consequences of your decisions;
- your wishes as to future treatment are clear and apply to the medical circumstances which later arise;
- your decision(s) is not made under somebody else's influence;
- you are 18 years or over.
requesting life sustaining treatment
Alternatively you may want to have life sustaining treatment even if you have very little chance of recovery. Unlike a refusal of treatment, this type of request is not binding on your doctor. However if you want this option, by asking for it in the pro-choice Living Will, your doctor will know you want the chance to recover from your illness even if it is not very likely you will do so.
You will be able to tell your doctor what you want to happen to you even if you cannot communicate. You are in control.
 "This very useful document is legally rigorous yet simple to complete. I am not surprised that more people are making Living Wills."- Barrister Philip Havers QC |
The pro-choice Living Will gives you both options - that is why it is called pro-choice.
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