The Robert Wendland case: Legal implications of the Wendland case for end-of-life decision making

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2002

Abstract

In Conservatorship of Wendland, the California Supreme Court established a high standard of proof for end-of-life decision making on behalf of patients who are incompetent but conscious and have a court-appointed conservator.1 The court's opinion establishes an easier standard of proof for some situations where there is no conservator, but the opinion leaves many questions unanswered. We address the implications of Wendland for health care professionals in California and, in particular, the questions of what evidence of a patient's end-of-life wishes is required for physicians to withhold life-sustaining treatment and how strong that evidence must be in various situations.

Publication Title

Western Journal of Medicine

ISSN

0093-0415

Volume

176

Issue

2

First Page

124

Last Page

127

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