Is There a Lingua Franca for Bioethics at the End of Life?

Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 28 (3):279-284 (2000)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In this issue, Raphael Cohen-Almagor reviews some of the terms used in the discussion of bioethical issues at the end of a patient's life; he argues that they are “valueladen” and serve “primarily the physicians, at times at the expense of the patients’ best interest.” Each of the following terms comes under scrutiny: “death with dignity,” “persistent vegetative state,” “futility,” “double effect,” and “brain death.” He argues that these concepts, developed in recent decades, “have generated an unhealthy atmosphere for patients, which might lead to undesirable actions at the end of patients’ lives.” He issues a plea to discontinue the use of the term “persistent vegetative state” because it is dehumanizing, to explain “double effect” and “futility” in detail and with sincerity, and to clarify the motivation for using these terms and others. He warns physicians not to use terminology that is offensive to patients and loved ones or that weakens their patients’ will to live.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

A Metaphysical Kant: A Theological Lingua Franca?Christopher Insole - 2012 - Studies in Christian Ethics 25 (2):206-214.
The Lingua Franca of Human Rights and the Rise of a Global Bioethic.Lori P. Knowles - 2001 - Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 10 (3):253-263.
End-of-Life Decision Making across Cultures.Robert H. Blank - 2011 - Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 39 (2):201-214.

Analytics

Added to PP
2010-08-31

Downloads
38 (#365,484)

6 months
2 (#668,348)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

When doctors say No: the battleground of medical futility.Susan B. Rubin - 1998 - Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press.
Bioethics in the Language of the Law.Carl E. Schneider - 1994 - Hastings Center Report 24 (4):16-22.
A Concise Rebuttal.Raphael Cohen-Almagor - 2000 - Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 28 (3):285-286.

View all 6 references / Add more references