title: Advance consent, critical interests and dementia research.
abstract: Although advance directives have become a familiar instrument within the context of treatment, there has been minimal support for their expansion into the context of research. In this paper I argue that the principle of precedent autonomy that grants a competent person the right to refuse life-sustaining treatment when later incompetent, also grants a competent person the right to consent to research that is greater than minimal risk. An examination of the principle of precedent autonomy reveals that a future-binding research decision is within the scope of a competent person's critical interests, if the decision is consistent with what the person believes gives her life intrinsic value.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Buller
mesh_terms: D016223:Advance Directives / Q000941:ethics* / Q000523:psychology; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D032984:Ethics, Research; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000941:ethics* / Q000523:psychology; D016743:Mental Competency / Q000523:psychology; D028701:Patient Rights; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000941:ethics* / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Autonomy; Clinical Trials; Research Ethics; Research on Special Populations