😬
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-66584409
An autistic man with “chronic” kidney disease should not be forced to undergo dialysis, despite the “potentially fatal consequence of not having it”, a judge has ruled.
The 26-year-old man, who is being treated in Nottingham, did not “accept” he had the disease, nor see the need for dialysis, the judge said.
Mr Justice Hayden was asked to decide what moves were in his best interests.
But he said: “All I could do was tell him that the decision was his.”
The man’s mother, who has mental health difficulties, did not accept the diagnosis either, the judge was told at a hearing at the Court of Protection in London, which considers issues relating to people who may not have the mental capacity to make decisions.
Lawyers representing specialists said “repeated attempts” to explain the “need” for dialysis and the “potentially fatal consequence of not having it” had been unsuccessful.
“[The man] does not want to die,” the judge said. “I formed the impression that he very much wanted to live.”
“Ultimately, all I could do was tell him that the decision was his.”
@HebrideanHecate It's a fair, if tragic decision.
@sullybiker It’s a really horrible treatment. That, transplant or death, what a choice.
@HebrideanHecate I've heard of similar, not on autism spectrum disorder grounds, but religious. That case was fatal, but you can't compel people if they don't want treatment. Unless it's covid of course.
