Advance Directives in MedicineChris Hackler, Ray Moseley, Dorothy E. Vawter Modern medicine has put a new twist on one of our most fundamental values . . . self-determination. A patient's right to self-determination becomes a poignant and volatile issue in the context of modern life-sustaining technologies. When the benefit of medical treatment is overshadowed by the resulting burdens, treatment may ethically be withdrawn. Patients have the right to make this decision, assuming they still have the capacity to make it. Through advance directives a competent patient can extend his right to consent to or refuse medical treatment indefinitely into the future. Whether in the form of informal oral instructions or formal written documents, advance directives insure patients that their treatment wishes will be carried out. They also alleviate the uncertainty, guilt, and/or fear of legal consequences facing the family and caregivers. This volume is a collection of fourteen essays investigating the advantages and disadvantages of different kinds of directives, the role of professionals in making and honoring them, policy issues that need to be addressed, and future directions which directives may take. Although such documents may be used to request treatment, this volume limits its focus to their more common function . . . the refusal of treatment. Timely and comprehensive, Advance Directives in Medicine provides a stimulating overview of this relevant topic. |
Contents
GOOD PUBLIC | 39 |
A FRAMEWORK FOR LEGAL ANALYSIS | 53 |
DO LIVING WILL STATUTES EMBODY | 75 |
Copyright | |
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Advance Directives in Medicine Chris Hackler,Ray Moseley,Dorothy E. Vawter No preview available - 1989 |