Medical Law Across Boundaries at the End of Life (MED-LABEL). (360G-Wellcome-101595_Z_13_Z)

Medical Law Across Boundaries at the End of Life (MED-LABEL) examines emergent ethico-legal dilemmas in end-of-life care, across geographical and disciplinary boundaries. The project primarily encompasses seven proposed publications, which collectively explore: the relief of symptoms in terminally ill patients; advance decision-making and the withdrawal of life-supporting treatments; and the relationship between bioethics and the law. The papers adopt multidisciplinary perspectives, combining do minant themes in law, bioethics and medical science, whilst also looking to developments in other jurisdictions. In particular, the papers seek to engage with expert opinion in palliative medicine and neuroscience, whilst addressing complaints that law is losing touch with its ethical foundations. These are timely concerns, on which I have extensive notes and detailed plans for publications, for which I now seek Trust support in order to ensure their successful completion. In keeping with the mu lti-disciplinary and comparative ethos of the project, an award would support visits to meet with scholars and collaborators in the UK, Germany and USA, as well as some research assistance and teaching cover. MED-LABEL will provide the groundwork for a future application for an Investigator award, expanding my work on bioethics, law and end-of-life care.