Case Study 1
Introduction
This case study will review a landmark bioethics case on the Matter of Conroy. 98 N.J. 321, 486 A.2d 1209 (1985). This matter taken up by the Supreme Court of New Jersey (NJ) reviews the rights of an incompetent patient, their self-determination and the ethical decision to withhold tube feeding. The case summary will apply two ethical definitions and two ethical theories that are relevant to the Matter of Conroy case. A description of the legislation that was developed as a result of this particular case outcome will be discussed. Finally, a review of the ruling will be applied to the nursing practice.
Case Overview Mr. Whittemore, the only surviving relative and legal guardian of 84-year-old Claire Conroy, …show more content…
Self-determination is “the freedom to make choices about issues that affect our lives and make decisions about our personal goals” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2012, p. 296). In this case, Ms. Conroy’s nephew was fighting to have the court recognize the self-determination of his aunt based upon his observation of his aunt’s fear and avoidance of doctors. The court listened to the testimony of Mr. Whittmore, “Ms. Conroy feared and avoided doctors and that, to the best of his knowledge; she had never visited a doctor until she became incompetent in 1979” (In the Matter of Claire C. Conroy, 1985). The court took this into consideration when it established specific criteria for incompetent patients and stated, “Under the limited-objective test, life-sustaining treatment may be withheld or withdrawn from a patient in Claire Conroy's situation when there is some trustworthy evidence that the patient would have refused the treatment, and the decision-maker is satisfied that it is clear that the burdens of the patient's continued life with the treatment outweigh the benefits of that life for him” (Matter of Conroy, …show more content…
The practical imperative is “to treat another person as an end…is to make his or her ends your own, and to act toward his or her goals as you naturally do toward your own” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2012, p. 45). This theory is seen in how Ms. Conroy’s nephew, knowing his aunt from experience in caring for her, approached the court of New Jersey in an attempt to have the feeding tube removed to allow his aunt to die a natural death. We see this theory repeated a second time with the court’s decision to allow the removal of the nasogastric tube. “The right to self-determination of an incompetent patient survives his or her incompetence, and that a surrogate should make ‘the decision that the patient would have made if competent’” (Martinez & Frank,
Introduction
This case study will review a landmark bioethics case on the Matter of Conroy. 98 N.J. 321, 486 A.2d 1209 (1985). This matter taken up by the Supreme Court of New Jersey (NJ) reviews the rights of an incompetent patient, their self-determination and the ethical decision to withhold tube feeding. The case summary will apply two ethical definitions and two ethical theories that are relevant to the Matter of Conroy case. A description of the legislation that was developed as a result of this particular case outcome will be discussed. Finally, a review of the ruling will be applied to the nursing practice.
Case Overview Mr. Whittemore, the only surviving relative and legal guardian of 84-year-old Claire Conroy, …show more content…
Self-determination is “the freedom to make choices about issues that affect our lives and make decisions about our personal goals” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2012, p. 296). In this case, Ms. Conroy’s nephew was fighting to have the court recognize the self-determination of his aunt based upon his observation of his aunt’s fear and avoidance of doctors. The court listened to the testimony of Mr. Whittmore, “Ms. Conroy feared and avoided doctors and that, to the best of his knowledge; she had never visited a doctor until she became incompetent in 1979” (In the Matter of Claire C. Conroy, 1985). The court took this into consideration when it established specific criteria for incompetent patients and stated, “Under the limited-objective test, life-sustaining treatment may be withheld or withdrawn from a patient in Claire Conroy's situation when there is some trustworthy evidence that the patient would have refused the treatment, and the decision-maker is satisfied that it is clear that the burdens of the patient's continued life with the treatment outweigh the benefits of that life for him” (Matter of Conroy, …show more content…
The practical imperative is “to treat another person as an end…is to make his or her ends your own, and to act toward his or her goals as you naturally do toward your own” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2012, p. 45). This theory is seen in how Ms. Conroy’s nephew, knowing his aunt from experience in caring for her, approached the court of New Jersey in an attempt to have the feeding tube removed to allow his aunt to die a natural death. We see this theory repeated a second time with the court’s decision to allow the removal of the nasogastric tube. “The right to self-determination of an incompetent patient survives his or her incompetence, and that a surrogate should make ‘the decision that the patient would have made if competent’” (Martinez & Frank,