Burke Balch

Many people sign living wills out of fear that they will be kept alive by machines when they are no longer able to express a wish to be allowed to die, Burke Balch asserts in the following viewpoint. However, he contends, many doctors now presume that patients would prefer to die rather than be kept alive. He argues that living wills fail to protect those who wish to receive lifesaving treatments. Balch is the director of the National Right to Life Committee’s Department of Medical Ethics.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Balch, what is modern medicine’s presumption about lifesaving measures and the disabled"
2. What is the most significant problem with appointing an agent to make health-care decisions, in Balch’s view"

A...