Wife Allowed to Let Minimally Conscious Husband Die

A UK woman has won the right to let her husband die after he no longer recognizes or responds to her. Her husband was hit by a car on his motorcycle and suffered brain damage. She has expressed her husband’s wish of not being kept on life support. A British judge ruled that the life-preserving treatment should cease and the husband should be moved to hospice. This ruling is the first time the country has ruled for a clinically stable patient to stop receiving support. Experts argued that the husband was minimally conscious, showing sings of inconsistent awareness, so an appeal is possible. 

See Michael Harthorne, Wife Wins Right to Let ‘Minimally Conscious’ Husband Die, Fox News, December 21, 2016.