Sanctity of life

Sanctity of life is the view that human life has value in itself and should be preserved.

Updated 12 October 2026 (1 minute read)

Summary

It is often set against quality of life, the view that what matters is the life a person is able to live.
English law treats preserving life as a strong starting point that can be outweighed.
In 1993 the courts allowed doctors to withdraw feeding from Tony Bland, who was in a persistent vegetative state after the Hillsborough disaster.
It comes up in debates about abortion, assisted dying and withdrawing life support.

Interview questions

Should doctors always try to keep a patient alive?
What matters more, how long someone lives or how well?
How would you care for a patient whose beliefs about life differ from yours?

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Cases that turn on it

Indi Gregory and best interests Autonomy Indi was eight months old and had a disease with no cure. Her parents wanted treatment to continue, and a hospital in Rome offered to take her. Judges in England ruled that it was in her best interests to stop.

More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.