In most nhs hospitals in the UK , they put all elderly patients on codeine anyway, enter non existent 'pain' on their nursing records, then finish them off with midazolam and alfentanil to alleviate non existent agitation - no one checks their controlled drugs registers, although all uk police forces have a dedicated officer who is supposed to - most of them are married to nurses, so they dont have to give anyone they consider 'elderly' any of the treatments that a 30 year old would be entitled to - its licenced murder, the way the NHS practice it in this area - quite why you are even dressing this subject up with an 'ethical discussion' I can't fathom - its murder done with smoke and mirrors, the intention is murder - it avoids blocking up nhs beds with 'lives unworthy of life' - small matter of 'consent ' is conveniently circumvented by filling them up with morphine first, and saying the loss of conciousness is due to something like a stroke to their relatives - they rely on visitors knowing absolutely nothing about doseages and respiratory side effects of 'palliative care' drugs.  Its rife - but as the 'attending doctor' is the one who writes the cause of death on the death certificate, no one questions it at all .