Judge sets precedent for future applications to withdraw treatment from patients who are chronically medically dependent
A woman reduced to a minimally conscious state by a viral illness should not be permitted to die because her life retains "positive elements", a judge has ruled.
The landmark case at the court of protection sets a precedent for future applications to withdraw treatment from patients who are chronically medically dependent. It is thought to be the first time a judge has ruled on a case involving someone who is minimally conscious as opposed to being in a persistent vegetative state.
The woman, now 52, and legally known as "M", as her family does not wish to be identified, had been due to go on a skiing holiday in February 2003 when her partner found her slumped in a "drowsy and confused condition".
