Artificial Nutrition and the Terminally Ill: How Should Washington Decide?

Authors

Jacquelyn A. Beatty

Abstract

This Comment demonstrates that artificial nutrition and hydration are life-sustaining treatments which all patients have a right to forego under Washington's common law, state constitution, and NDA. Countervailing state interests do not compel a contrary result. Moreover, artificial nutrition and hydration do not require the preclusion of surrogate decisionmaking already recognized by Washington in the life-sustaining treatment context. However, since current judicial guidelines for surrogate-made decisions are inadequate, this Comment concludes by proposing substantive guidelines for such decisions.

First Page

419

Recommended Citation

Jacquelyn A. Beatty, Comment, Artificial Nutrition and the Terminally Ill: How Should Washington Decide?, 61 Wash. L. Rev. 419 (1986).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wlr/vol61/iss2/4