[jessriedel]

<eyeroll>. It's obvious that doctors don't have to implement any patient desire at all. It must be part of the doctor job description, and sham medicine is obviously not included. But living longer, even with pain and even if the patient is still going to die, is not considered futile or a sham. (We all have an incurable disease because we all are going to die eventually.) Doctors are of course able to decline to participate, but they must refer you to another doctor.

[pfortuny]

I was referring to cases where "life" is just "not death", in the sense that "this person is alive just because we are keeping him so" (apart from the elementary support like feeding, cleaning, etc.).

I was not (certainly) referring to cases where the person is conscious and able to make decisions. There is little "palliative sedation" in these cases.