Professional acceptance of living wills to be encouraged

February 17 1994 may be viewed as a watershed in years to come. For on that date a House of Lords select committee discussed the issue of living wills in the wider context of euthanasia and medical ethics. The result was a recognition that a living will might be taken into account when deciding the appropriateness of treatment. The select committee also decided that it was desirable for guidelines governing the use of living wills in such decision making to be established.