Court Will Decide If Hospital May Refuse Life Support Despite Patient's and Family's Wishes

Court Will Decide If Hospital May Refuse Life Support Despite Patient's and Family's Wishes A court will decide if a New Jersey hospital may refuse to continue life support over the objections of a patient's family, the New Jersey Star-Tribune reported on Wednesday.   According to the newspaper, New Jersey's Trinitas hospital is looking for an exception to the state's advance directives law, which says patients and their families have the right to decide when and whether to remove life support, regardless of what doctors say.   The case involves a man who had been in a vegetative state for almost a year. Doctors believed his treatment was "inhumanely" prolonging the dying process, the newspaper said. A judge ordered the hospital to continue life support treatment, and the hospital appealed.   According to the Star-Tribune, the ruling could have national implications. Source: CNSNews.com Publish Date: April 28, 2010 Link to this article. Send this article to a friend.