Court's guidelines on incompetent patients compromise their rights.
All patients have the right to request or to forego extraordinary means. Who shall make this decision for incompetent patients? A Massachusetts court, ruling that only a court is competent to decide such requests, contradicts theologians' recommendations. These decisions should be left to the patients' closest relatives with the help of the physician.
D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D008404:Massachusetts; D009515:New Jersey; D009518:New York; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*