The Problems in Prolongation of Life (IN: Biomedical Ethics and the law, ed. by J M Humber)

This paper describes the development of the controversy concerning the right to die & its possible resolution through contemporary court decisions & through evolving attitudes which emphasize patient & family participation in treatment decisions. The discussion includes the problem of defining death, the distiniction between active & passive euthanasia, the difficulties in securing legal recognition of the “living will,” & the difficulty of distinguishing between extraordinary & ordinary means of preserving life.