Throughout the years, our ethical values have changed dependent on the state of patients receiving artificial life aid. Many factors, including health status, influence physician choices, statistics of survival and the surrogates consent of termination. If doctors and surrogates disagree over the probability of survival, patients may stay in a persistent vegetative state. This conflict happens very frequently in the medical field and is often taken to court, even to the federal level: supreme court. Surrogates and physicians are often divided between the right to live and the right to die. These ardent conflicting views, more often than not, fall into the hands of legal authority. But, who has more control over the decision of termination along
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This oath states that, “I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death” (Lasagna, 1964). Although the physician of the patient receiving life support has more bias to the technical aspect of probability of survival, it is standard practice for them to not only consider, but honor and respect the decisions of the surrogates. Doctors presentably have more knowledge about the patients status and sometimes believe that they have a right to die because they will suffer if kept alive, or their case proves to be a medical anomaly. Legally, it is stated that, “In the context of end-of-life care, the right to refuse treatment places a recognized limit on interventions by doctors, who must respect refusals even against their best clinical judgement and even if a patient 's life is at risk as a result” (Gedge, Giacomini & Cook, 2007). This regard of surrogates from doctors extends beyond the right to practice medicine, it is law-abiding for doctors to conform to the decisions made by the patients representatives. If the doctors or surrogates view is still opposing, either party can fight the decision by presenting their case to the supreme
This oath states that, “I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death” (Lasagna, 1964). Although the physician of the patient receiving life support has more bias to the technical aspect of probability of survival, it is standard practice for them to not only consider, but honor and respect the decisions of the surrogates. Doctors presentably have more knowledge about the patients status and sometimes believe that they have a right to die because they will suffer if kept alive, or their case proves to be a medical anomaly. Legally, it is stated that, “In the context of end-of-life care, the right to refuse treatment places a recognized limit on interventions by doctors, who must respect refusals even against their best clinical judgement and even if a patient 's life is at risk as a result” (Gedge, Giacomini & Cook, 2007). This regard of surrogates from doctors extends beyond the right to practice medicine, it is law-abiding for doctors to conform to the decisions made by the patients representatives. If the doctors or surrogates view is still opposing, either party can fight the decision by presenting their case to the supreme