Making Medical Decisions for the Profoundly Mentally Disabled (Basic Bioethics)

Making Medical Decisions for the Profoundly Mentally Disabled (Basic Bioethics)
Norman L. Cantor (Author)

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Review & Description

In this book, Norman Cantor analyzes the legal and moral status of people
with profound mental disabilities -- those with extreme cognitive impairments that
prevent their exercise of medical self-determination. He proposes a legal and moral
framework for surrogate medical decision making on their behalf. The issues Cantor
explores will be of interest to professionals in law, medicine, psychology,
philosophy, and ethics, as well as to parents, guardians, and health care providers
who face perplexing issues in the context of surrogate medical decision making.The
profoundly mentally disabled are thought by some moral philosophers to lack the
minimum cognitive ability for personhood. Countering this position, Cantor advances
both theoretical and practical arguments for according them full legal and moral
status. He also argues that the concept of intrinsic human dignity should have an
integral role in shaping the bounds of surrogate decision making. Thus, he claims,
while profoundly mentally disabled persons are not entitled to make their own
medical decisions, respect for intrinsic human dignity dictates their right to have
a conscientious surrogate make medical decisions on their behalf. Cantor discusses
the criteria that bind such surrogates. He asserts, contrary to popular wisdom, that
the best interests of the disabled person are not always the determinative standard:
the interests of family or others can sometimes be considered. Surrogates may even,
consistent with the intrinsic human dignity standard, sometimes authorize tissue
donation or participation in nontherapeutic medical research by profoundly disabled
persons. Intrinsic human dignity limits the occasions for such decisions and
dictates close attention to the preferences and feelings of the profoundly disabled
persons themselves. Cantor also analyzes the underlying philosophical rationale that
makes these decision-making criteria consistent with law and morals.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72802 in eBooks
• Published on: 2005-05-06
• Released on: 2005-06-01
• Format: Kindle eBook
• Number of items: 1