(Wesley J. Smith / NRO) – Assisted-suicide advocates are pushing an “aggressive advance directive” that would force nursing homes to starve dementia patients — even if they willingly eat — when they reach a specified stage of cognitive decline. NPR is on the story:
Treading into ethically and legally uncertain territory, a New York end-of-life agency has approved a new document that lets people stipulate in advance that they don’t want food or water if they develop severe dementia.
Aaand, there’s a penalty flag on the field. The organization pushing this is not “a New York end-of-life agency,” terminology that could make the reader think it was an official government body. Rather, it is an assisted-suicide advocacy group. Hence, its aggressive instructions would not be legally binding, as mandatory starvation is not specifically authorized by New York law. CONTINUE