"I only hope that if I am lucky enough to be in hospital, that the doctors treating me will not believe at some stage that it will be in my best interests for ANH to be withdrawn even when death is imminent, effectively letting me die of starvation and thirst when I am no longer able to communicate my wishes."I will be making a living will, even though it will give me no comfort, for as it stands living wills are not legally binding and can be disregarded if the wishes contained in it conflict with the doctor's view."
So said Leslie Burke who has now lost, in both England and a European Union court, his legal case that would have guarenteed him the right to receive food and water in the last stages of his illness. Burke suffers from cerebellar ataxia, a degenerative and eventually fatal brain condition that causes a lack of muscular and nervous coordination, but does not affect mental faculties.
Here is the story from the Scotsman (U..K.) And here is another angle, more from Mr. Burke's perspective.