Over the past two decades a societal consensus has developed around the principle that decisions about life-sustaining treatment should be guided by patient self-determination. According to the President's Commission, ...

...In this paper we will limit our focus to how the decision in Cruzan is likely to affect the doctor-patient relationship, especially in the critical activities surrounding decision-making about the use of life sustaining ...

Medical practitioners often feel obligated to use all available procedures to sustain patients' lives. A review of case law indicates, however, that practitioners who abate treatment that is contrary to people's known ...