PHLB09H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Harm Avoidance, Paternalism
Document Summary
Week 2 lecture #3: thursday september 10, 2015. Can patients refuse treatment despite harm: overriding autonomy for the patient"s own good. If not, some form of p may be permissible. Empirical: claim: honoring autonomy won"t cause harm (thus ~ (not) p, assume: harm is objective (pain, depression, death, reason: refusing treatment implies tolerance, not significant enough, i"m able to tolerate not using my leg . Inconclusive: this at most shows doctors need training to judge effects of disclosure, maybe need more psychological training, more needed to show that, doctors must practice full disclosure to enable patient a, and this ~ p. Rebuttal: medical profession may still be the only one, or one of only a few, paternalistic in this way (authority over driving vs. health: authority over driving = speed limits, pulling over, etc. We rarely subordinate long-term goals to hpl (health and prolonged life)
