Ethics And Living Wills
| Living will, otherwise called as advance refusal, is one type of advance health care directive that provides a person with the authority to decide about the type of treatment that he would want if he becomes seriously ill in the future. |
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With the current advancements in the field of medicine, there are various improved treatments offering patients suffering from serious and terminal illnesses a hope to live longer. However, most of these treatment methods cause worst possible side effects that are impossible to bear. In many cases such as deep coma or a serious form of dementia, the patient might not be physically or mentally capable of making a decision or refusing a treatment. One can have this flexibility through a method of advance health planning known as Living Will.
The concept of a living will was first introduced in 1969 by Louis Kutner, an American lawyer. A living will is considered valid only in situations where the person has acquired a condition that is diagnosed as terminal illness and the patient is unable to communicate his decisions. A terminal condition can be described as a medical complication that is incurable or irreversible without the administration of life-sustaining devices and procedures.
Making a living will may be a morally ethical decision. People realize that at some point of their life, they might end up permanently in a hospital bed or might need to have a long stay in a medical institution. In these circumstances, decision may be taken without their consent and against their wish. People feel that living will or some other form of advance declaration is a means protecting them from dying with indignity.
A living will also provides protection to the doctor or physician who can be accused of medical malpractice by the ailing person’s family. Medically, a living will might not be considered ethical. A medical practitioner should be committed to prolong life rather than relieve a person from suffering.
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Ethics And Living Wills
