Facts
- Doctors sought a declaration that it was acceptable to turn off the life support machines which had held a patient in a persistent vegetative state for more than 2 years
Issue
- Could a declaration be obtained
Decision
- Yes
Reasoning
- Where a person is unable to give or withhold their own consent, doctors are entitled to decide what is in that patient’s best interests
- It may in the best interests of the patient to discontinue treatment
