PHIL 223 - Week 10 Assignment
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Philosophy
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Apr 3, 2024
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PHIL 223 Week # 10 Assignment
This assignment is due on Friday, March 17
th
at 11:59 pm. Submit it via Canvas.
Read Keith Burton’s piece titled, “Case Study: A Chronicle: Dax’s Case As It Happened,” 343-347 then answer the following questions. PowerPoint notes and lecture video for week # 10 are also available in Canvas. Part A: Indicate true or false for each statement (worth 1 point each)
1.
Looking back Don Cowart saw his futile efforts to take his own life as a bitter human comedy. -
True
2.
The doctors in Galveston had encouraged Don Cowart to accept treatment that would free him of hospitalization and permit him to end his life if that was his wish. - True
Part B: In no more than two double-spaced pages, answer the following questions. (Worth 8 points).
From the very beginning, Don Cowart expressed the desire to die. Long after a psychiatrist found Don to be competent to refuse medical treatment, the treatment continued against his will. 1.
When should the decision to refuse lifesaving treatment be accepted?
2.
Is a doctor who knows from experience that patients just like Dax can ultimately have worthwhile lives justified in continuing to try to change his patient's mind? 3.
Is a prolonged attempt to get the patient to see that his life can be worthwhile in the end compassionate medicine or unacceptable bullying? 4.
Is the outcome of Dax's life- completing a law degree, passing the bar, setting up a law practice, having a happy marriage- relevant to whether he should have been allowed to die?
The decision to refuse lifesaving treatment should be accepted when the patient is found competent in decision making and does not suffer from any mental illness such as depression/suicidal thoughts. Thus, in the case Don Cowart, his decision to refuse medical treatment should have been honored or accepted as soon as he was found competent by the psychiatrist. A doctor, who knows from experience that patients like Dax can ultimately have a worthwhile life, can and may try to persuade/change a competent patient to change his/her mind, but they cannot coerce the patient or just go against the patient’s wishes regarding treatment. In Dax’s case, the doctors should not have continued treatment after Dax was found competent and should not have ignored or force ably treated Dax after his
pleas to stop treatment. In my opinion, a prolonged attempt to get the patient to see that his life can be worthwhile in the end is compassionate medicine and not unacceptable bullying. Ultimately, the doctor or medical professional wants what is best for the patient and want to do everything they can to help a patient not suffer from pain or prolong their life as much as possible. When a patient refuses treatment for a disease that can be cured, the doctor can try
to persuade, they patient as long as possible however it is unacceptable to ignore the patient’s wishes or force ably try to get the patient to accept treatment. Also, a patient’s later
achievements in life should not be used to dictate whether that patient should or should not be allowed to refuse or accept treatment.
This also pertains to Dax’s life too. Dax’s outcome of life should not be relevant to whether he should have been allowed to die. Dax had to undergo several years of treatment jumping back and forth between hospitals and rehabilitation centers. He also struggled with his mental health throughout this time even going as far as attempting suicide. Most importantly, even though Dax achieved many things such as law school, law practice etc. in his later life, he still stands firm that he should have been allowed to die because he was the patient who had to endure all the burns and treatment and struggles that came with being alive after that explosion. In the end, the patient who suffers should have the right to decide the refusal of treatment if he wants to. Eventually, they will be the ones to undergo the struggles and pass the obstacles that lie in front of them.
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