Editorial Calls for Further Thought on End-of-Life Care

U.S. residents "are notoriously reluctant to confront the realities of death itself," a Los Angeles Times editorial states. The editorial cites a recent Dartmouth Atlas Project study to argue that "unless people strongly assert their preferences, their end-of-life care will largely be determined by the prevailing customs of their communities." The Times writes that "rather than focusing on treatment preferences, advance directives should let people express what they'd like to achieve through treatment should they become terminally ill."

• "End-of-Life Uncertainty" (Los Angeles Times, 11/29).