Life-and-death battle goes to court

THE family of a Muslim man in a persistent vegetative state are fighting in the High Court for him to receive – against medical advice – life–saving treatment if his condition deteriorates.

A judge was told the family of patient “L”, from the Greater Manchester area, believes that if the severely brain–damaged 55 year old could express his wishes he would never agree, because of his faith, to an order that he should not be resuscitated or ventilated.

Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, responsible for his care, is seeking a court declaration that it would not be in his best interests to offer him ventilation or resuscitation if there was “a life–threatening event”.

The Trust believes the man has “minimal prospects” of improving any neurological function, and no meaningful prospect of further recovery, following a cardiac arrest last month.

The judge was told it was the family’s view that life is sacred and it would be contrary to their religion not to provide life–supporting treatment.

The family believes L is not as unresponsive as the doctors suggest. The judge was told that, since mother and son had signed their court statements, family members on daily visits to hospital had continued to observe “some degree of responsiveness” on L’s part.

The family argues that it is currently “simply too soon” to determine whether L is in a “permanent” vegetative state, or to conclude that his quality of life would be so limited or wretched – as one doctor had concluded – to make life–saving treatment futile.


The case continues

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