Passive Euthanasia

Excerpt

To the editor: In the January issue, Lo and Jonsen (1) exposed clearly the problems of euthanasia. The ethical questions, very well defined by them, are expressed in similar words everywhere in the world. In the intensive-care unit, the "right to die" can present somewhat different aspects when life is depending only on heavy technical support. Communication with these critically ill patients is almost always impossible, and the opinion of the family is generally inconsistent.

When I served a 2-year fellowship in critical care in the United States, I was one of five foreign physicians (from Israel, France, Spain, Holland,