The effect of this statutory requirement has been that even when doctors know that a patient will not survive, and that the patient does not wish their death to be prolonged by being painfully kept alive by machines, they still have to give the patient emergency treatment, or they may face prosecution for negligent homicide after a complaint by the patient's family.
在法令規範之下，即使醫師明知病人無法存活、明知病人不希望靠維生機器痛苦地拖延生命，還是得給病人急救，否則便可能被病人家屬告過失殺人。