The concept of futile medical care has been in existence for ages, but still attracts lots of controversy. It is defined as the provision of medical treatment when there is no reasonable hope of improving or curing the patient’s condition. Proponents argue for discontinuation of any treatment that hasn’t been shown to provide any measurable benefits. Stopping futile care isn’t equivalent to active intervention to end life, as withholding care doesn’t hasten the natural progression to death. By its provocative connotations, futile medical care has differing interpretations within different contexts.