著者

浅井 篤 石本 博子

出版者

熊本大学

雑誌

先端倫理研究 : 熊本大学倫理学研究室紀要 (ISSN:18807879)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.8, pp.25-35, 2014-03

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Should we respect treatment refusal of incompetent patients who cannot decide forthemselves? What principle or reason could justify compulsory interventions against the patients' will? This paper deliberates various factors that possibly influence our attitudes toward an incompetent patient's refusal of treatment. Issues discussed would include standard treatments at a given time in a given culture, advance directives, perpetuity of incompetency, nature of refusedinterventions, alternatives, emergency, ethical and medical uncertainty, ourdiscriminatory feeling, human dignity, fundamental liberty, and patient's moralobligations. We conclude that compulsion against incompetent patients should beexceptional and must not be forced unless there is a serious reason.