In a conscience vote Today, Germany's parliament adopted a law which makes living wills binding, forcing doctors to halt treatment of seriously ill, unconscious patients if they wish. according to dpa. The moral issue had divided German legislators for six years, with some concerned that it might mark a step to euthanasia, which was widespread under the Nazis. The Bundestag parliament voted 317-233 in favour of one of several competing legal schemes. It ruled that ending medical treatment was legal, even when an irreversible deterioration in a patient's health had not begun. It is estimated that Germans have so far made 9 million written living wills, directing what is to be done if they become terminally unconscious. Those documents will now bind relatives and doctors. The wills, drawn up by churches and welfare groups, vary, but it remains illegal to ask to be killed. In many cases, patients request in advance that doctors turn off hospital life-support equipment if recovery is impossible and the patient is no longer conscious enough to give the order. Under the law, if doctors and relatives disagree about what the patient meant, a court must decide. But legislators rejected suggestions that doctors must first be asked for a detailed medical forecast.
