Will the Draft Mental Incapacity Bill legalise euthanasia by omission?

The Draft Mental Capacity Bill provoked considerable controversy due to provisions relating to "living wills" and the grounds for withholding treatment, provoking active campaigning against all or part of it by groups including the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. This historical note summarises the ensuing debate, which is also covered in the library Research Paper Mental Capacity Bill (Bill 120 of 2003/04).