Legal recognition of advance refusal needed.

An advance directive is a form of ‘living will’, which outlines the treatment desired when an individual lacks the capacity to make a decision of his own. This is called a living will because it is meant to operate whilst the maker is alive, albeit incapacitated. In view of the increasing treatment interventions now available, there is growing recognition that an individual has the right to refuse what may be considered an unnecessary prolongation of the dying process. Because a living will usually involves the refusal of life-sustaining treatment under certain defined circumstances, it is also called an advance refusal. The author argues that legal recognition of advance refusal is required to protect both doctors, and patients and their family.