title: Palliative Care and Patient Autonomy: Moving Beyond Prohibitions Against Hastening Death.
abstract: The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) upholds policies prohibiting practices that deliberately hasten death. We find these policies overly restrictive and unreasonable. We argue that under specified circumstances it is both reasonable and morally sound to allow for treatments that may deliberately hasten death; these treatments should be part of the NHPCO guidelines. Broadening such policies would be more consistent with the gold standard of bioethical principles, ie, respecting the autonomy of competent adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Samuel H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: LiPuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: DeMarco
keywords: continuous sedation until death; end of life care; palliative care; physician assisted suicide