Consent and Medical Treatment
Read decision scenario 8 on p. 107 and answer questions 1, 2, and 4. Would your answer to any of these questions change if the treatment gave Alice a 50% chance of surviving for another year?
Do you think Dax Cowart (see page 3) should have been allowed to die? If so, at what point and under what circumstances should he have been allowed to make that decision?
Two conflicting claims about people who are in great pain are discussed in the readings: (a) People can never fully understand (or even remember) how awful pain can be, and so those not in pain should not presume to make decisions for those who are in pain. Those in pain should be the ones to make decisions about how much they can stand. (b) People in pain are not in a good position to make serious medical decisions, because the pain clouds their ability to decide rationally. Which of these do you agree with more? Why?
Read decision scenario 8 on p. 107 and answer questions 1, 2, and 4. Would your answer to any of these questions change if the treatment gave Alice a 50% chance of surviving for another year?
Do you think Dax Cowart (see page 3) should have been allowed to die? If so, at what point and under what circumstances should he have been allowed to make that decision?
Two conflicting claims about people who are in great pain are discussed in the readings: (a) People can never fully understand (or even remember) how awful pain can be, and so those not in pain should not presume to make decisions for those who are in pain. Those in pain should be the ones to make decisions about how much they can stand. (b) People in pain are not in a good position to make serious medical decisions, because the pain clouds their ability to decide rationally. Which of these do you agree with more? Why?
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Do you think physicians or other medical personnel have the right to know what a patient’s reasons are for making decisions about medical care? Why or why not? Does the requirement that a patient justify his or her choices increase or decrease the patient’s autonomy?
Look at the lists of laws given by Gerald Dworkin on p. 61-62. Each of these laws interferes to some extent with people’s autonomy. Which of the laws do you support? Which do you not support?
Under what conditions would you override the autonomy of a competent adult? Why? How does your answer apply in medical contexts?
Look at the experimental drug case on p. 117-118. Do you agree with the court’s decision in this case? Why or why not?
Generally we think of patient autonomy as giving patients the right to refuse treatment. It is also possible to consider cases in which a patient requests a particular treatment (e.g. the experimental drug case). Should patients have the right to receive any medical procedure they want? Consider the following cases:
A 22 year old childless woman wants a tubal ligation to prevent pregnancy. She is sure she will not want children later on and wants a permanent form of birth control.
A healthy 43 year old man believes he would be much happier if he had a leg amputated (Google body integrity identity disorder for more information about this). He asks a physician to perform the procedure.
Are these cases any different from the experimental drug case discussed above?
Do you think physicians or other medical personnel have the right to know what a patient’s reasons are for making decisions about medical care? Why or why not? Does the requirement that a patient justify his or her choices increase or decrease the patient’s autonomy?
Look at the lists of laws given by Gerald Dworkin on p. 61-62. Each of these laws interferes to some extent with people’s autonomy. Which of the laws do you support? Which do you not support?
Under what conditions would you override the autonomy of a competent adult? Why? How does your answer apply in medical contexts?
Look at the experimental drug case on p. 117-118. Do you agree with the court’s decision in this case? Why or why not?
Generally we think of patient autonomy as giving patients the right to refuse treatment. It is also possible to consider cases in which a patient requests a particular treatment (e.g. the experimental drug case). Should patients have the right to receive any medical procedure they want? Consider the following cases:
A 22 year old childless woman wants a tubal ligation to prevent pregnancy. She is sure she will not want children later on and wants a permanent form of birth control.
A healthy 43 year old man believes he would be much happier if he had a leg amputated (Google body integrity identity disorder for more information about this). He asks a physician to perform the procedure.
Are these cases any different from the experimental drug case discussed above?
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