title: Common questions about withdrawal of life support.
abstract: The case of William Drabick in California reflects mainstream legal trends and answers several common questions about life support. The Drabick court concluded that court intervention is usually not necessary before life support is withdrawn; that formal legal documents are not necessary; that the prior wishes of a patient must be considered in any decision; that when there have been no prior wishes, a surrogate must act in the patient's best interest, and that a court-appointed conservator is not always necessary.
authors.affiliation: Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Irvine.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davenport
mesh_terms: D001926:Brain Death; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012297:Right to Die / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States; D028761:Withholding Treatment