A thirty-year-old accident victim suffered a lack of oxygen to her brain for six to twenty minutes. She was in a persistently comatose and vegetative state, sustained by a gastronomy feeding tube, although her respiration and circulation were normal. She was oblivious to her surroundings except for reflexive grimace-like responses to sound or pain. The patient was in a state of progressive spastic quadriplegia with irreversibly contracted extremities. The opinion of medical professionals was that she could live thirty years. She now lives in a state hospital at the state's expense. Before the injury, Nancy had been a "vivacious, active, outgoing, and independent person." She had expressed in a "very serious" conversation with a friend the feeling that she would not wish to continue living if she couldn't be halfway normal, and "do things for yourself." Many other statements to family members suggested that "she would not want to continue her present existence without hope as it is." She remarked upon the stillborn death of a niece as perhaps "part of a greater plan" so as not to have to face a "possible life of mere existence." Commenting on the death of a grandmother after a long illness, she said it was better for her grandmother "not to be kind of brought back and forth" by treatment. Her parents, acting as guardians, requested the discontinuation of the feeding tube. What bioethical principle can be drawn from this?

Ciccarelli: Psychology_5 (5th Edition)

5th Edition

ISBN:9780134477961

Author:Saundra K. Ciccarelli, J. Noland White

Publisher:Saundra K. Ciccarelli, J. Noland White

Chapter1: The Science Of Psychology

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1TY

See similar textbooks

Related questions

Question

100%

A thirty-year-old accident victim suffered a lack of oxygen to her brain for six to twenty minutes. She was in a persistently comatose and vegetative state, sustained by a gastronomy feeding tube, although her respiration and circulation were normal. She was oblivious to her surroundings except for reflexive grimace-like responses to sound or pain. The patient was in a state of progressive spastic quadriplegia with irreversibly contracted extremities. The opinion of medical professionals was that she could live thirty years. She now lives in a state hospital at the state's expense. Before the injury, Nancy had been a "vivacious, active, outgoing, and independent person." She had expressed in a "very serious" conversation with a friend the feeling that she would not wish to continue living if she couldn't be halfway normal, and "do things for yourself." Many other statements to family members suggested that "she would not want to continue her present existence without hope as it is." She remarked upon the stillborn death of a niece as perhaps "part of a greater plan" so as not to have to face a "possible life of mere existence." Commenting on the death of a grandmother after a long illness, she said it was better for her grandmother "not to be kind of brought back and forth" by treatment. Her parents, acting as guardians, requested the discontinuation of the feeding tube. What bioethical principle can be drawn from this?

Expert Solution