BY THE time you read this, Vincent Lambert may well be dead. He has been in a vegetative state since a car crash in 2008. In a twilight zone between life and death, he has been unable to talk, eat or respond meaningfully to others. following a ruling from the Court of Cassation, the country鈥檚 highest appeals court.
It followed a six-year legal battle between two sides of Lambert鈥檚 family 鈥� his wife and six brothers and sisters, who sought to let him die, and his parents and two other siblings, who wanted him to continue to live. The case brought interventions from politicians, the Pope and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Advertisement
Whatever our views on this case, most of us would think it is sad that Lambert鈥檚 family, who presumably all care deeply about him, have been fighting over his fate in court.
The problem is that few of us like talking about death, so few of us take an important step to ensure that our loved ones know how we wish to be treated at the end of our lives 鈥� in situations such as this and in far more common ones.
That step is to make a living will, or advance decision, a document that sets out your medical preferences if you are unable to communicate. In the UK, groups such as and provide free templates online and advise on how to help make sure these documents don鈥檛 get ignored when they are needed. In the US, the provides advice.
Many people would want all the medical treatments available to be thrown at them if they were unable to communicate their wishes, and worry that medical staff will give up too soon. It is their right to express that wish.
But talk frankly to doctors and they will tell you the bigger problem is the opposite: of overtreatment and inappropriate medical care that makes death more unpleasant and prolonged. It can be just as important to state clearly in what situations you wish to avoid certain treatments.
For example, sometimes people in hospital who are dying and have stopped eating and drinking as their body shuts down will have a feeding tube placed through their nose, causing distress and discomfort. Often families pressure staff to do this because they can鈥檛 accept how close their relative is to death.
Then there are people who aren鈥檛 dying, but who have very poor quality of life because of severe Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, for instance. Would you want to continue living in that situation?
While assisted dying is illegal in the UK, as in most countries, it is legal to refrain from treating infections such as pneumonia, to let people die naturally. This used to be more common, but is often now resisted by relatives or care-home nurses.
Some people object strongly to such a course, while others see it as being sensible and humane. The range of opinion is the crux of this matter. Unless you make a living will, it won鈥檛 be you who decides what happens to you at the end. It will be someone else.
