A controversial new "right to die" card is being offered to the public that allows anyone to refuse treatment in a medical emergency.
Available in pubs, banks, libraries, GP surgeries, even some churches, the Advanced Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT) card sits snugly in a wallet or purse and instructs a doctor to withhold treatment should the carrier lose the capacity to make decisions, because of an accident or illness.
Dubbed the "right-to-die card", it's being seen by some as a short-cut to euthanasia.
But its backers say it is a practical way of implementing the Mental Capacity Act, which came into force in 2007.
The act allows adults to draw up "advance directives" stating what sort of treatment they don't want should they lose capacity. They build on the principle of "living wills" but, crucially, mean that doctors are legally bound to abide by a patient's wish to refuse life-sustaining treatment.
Carrying the card alerts anyone who finds it that the patient has made decisions about treatment, and there is a detailed statement to be found with named relatives or friends and, ideally, their GP.
Salford City Council, which is behind the card, says it is merely putting the information out there in public places, for people to make their own choice. It stresses advance decisions are not only about death but can also include preferences about treatment and care patients do want.
But so-called pro-life campaigners say they could be snapped up in haste by people who haven't fully understood the complexity of the issues involved.
(BBC News)
