Respect for autonomy, advance directives, and minimally conscious state.
In this article, I consider whether the advance directive of a person in minimally conscious state ought to be adhered to when its prescriptions conflict with her current wishes. I argue that an advance directive can have moral significance after its issuer has succumbed to minimally conscious state. I also defend the view that the patient can still have a significant degree of autonomy. Consequently, I conclude that her advance directive ought not to be applied. Then I briefly assess whether considerations pertaining to respecting the patient's autonomy could still require obedience to the desire expressed in her advance directive and arrive at a negative answer.
Department of Philosophy, University of Turku, Finland. jukka.varelius@utu.fi
Jukka
J
Varelius
D024362:Advance Directive Adherence / Q000523:psychology; D003657:Decision Making; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State; D026684:Personal Autonomy