UK Court: Feeding Tubes for Vegetative Patients Can Be Withdrawn If Family and Doctors Agree

UK Court: Feeding Tubes for Vegetative Patients Can Be Withdrawn If Family and Doctors Agree
A general view of stonework on the Supreme Court in London on Dec. 6, 2016. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Simon Veazey
Simon Veazey
Freelance Reporter
|Updated:

LONDON—Feeding tubes can be withdrawn from patients in a persistent vegetative state without legal permission, as long as the family and doctors are in agreement, the UK’s highest court has ruled.

Prior to the Supreme Court ruling (pdf) on July 30, each case was referred to a judge before artificial nutrition and hydration could be withdrawn.
Simon Veazey
Simon Veazey
Freelance Reporter
Simon Veazey is a UK-based journalist who has reported for The Epoch Times since 2006 on various beats, from in-depth coverage of British and European politics to web-based writing on breaking news.
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