Is it ever medically and morally appropriate to refuse food and fluids?
One glaring example of language manipulation is the assertion by euthanasia promoters that food and water are medical treatment. On the contrary, food and water are basic human needs and therefore basic human rights. In a medical setting, their provision is ordinary care, not treatment. Food and fluids do not become “treatment” simply because they are taken by tube any more than penicillin or Pepto-Bismol becomes “food” when taken by mouth. Certainly, feeding tubes are artificial devices, but the food and water that they deliver to the patient’s digestive system are real. Feeding tubes are sometimes necessary to sustain life, but often they are used because they are simpler and less costly than spoon-feeding or they are necessary to provide comfort.
