Medical Treatment: Decisions and the Law

14. Religious Observance and Objections to Treatment

Co-authored by Nageena Khalique KC and Rachael Gourley.

Contents

  • A Introduction  14.1
  • B Capacitous adults 14.2
  • General principle 14.2
  • Power to treat under s 63 of the Mental Health Act 1983 14.3
  • Steps to be taken 14.4
  • Confirmation that the patient has the mental capacity to make the decision in question 14.5
  • Ability to understand the information relevant to the decision 14.6
  • Ability to use or weigh the information as part of the decision-making process  14.7
  • Advice  14.8
  • Undue influence  14.9
  • Scope of a decision to refuse treatment 14.10
  • The role of relatives and close friends 14.11
  • Recording a decision taken against medical advice 14.12
  • C Incapacitous adults 14.13
  • General principle  14.13
  • Advance decisions  14.14
  • Reported oral advance decisions 14.15
  • The effect of uncertainty 14.16
  • Written declarations 14.17
  • Religious observance in incapacitous patients  14.18
  • Religious Ps – assumptions should not be made as to beliefs 14.19
  • D Children 14.20
  • General principle  14.20
  • Best interests  14.21
  • Religious objections to withdrawal of treatment from a child  14.22
  • Raqeeb  14.23
  • Fixsler  14.24
  • High Court proceedings 14.25
  • Court of Appeal and ECHR 14.27
  • Where should life support be withdrawn? 14.28
  • Conclusion on Fixsler 14.29
  • Ceiling of care cases  14.30
  • The ‘Gillick competent’ child  14.31
  • Re X (No 2) – Rolling orders 14.32
  • E Procedural issues 14.33
  • Anticipation  14.33
  • Notice and consultation 14.34
  • Evidence 14.35
  • Change of circumstance 14.36
  • F Conclusion 14.37

 

Return to index