[Legal basics in palliative care]

The German legal framework concerning end of life decisions is based on two pillars: the medical standards and the patient's autonomy. Every medical treatment, including life-saving and palliative measures, requires medical indication and, crucially, the patient's consent. Without the patient's consent even medically indicated treatment is prohibited.In other cases, complying with the patient's wishes, doctors have to treat symptoms the best they can. This includes palliative sedation accepting that the indicated medication may shorten life.It is prohibited to actively kill a patient to shorten his suffering. Assisting a suicide is only permitted if the suicide decision is made freely and on the patient's own responsibility. Businesslike suicide assistance is prohibited.