Choices and Relationships

摘要

It is difficult for families and friends to adjust to the changes dementia may bring about in an individual. In Oscar’s case, his transformation took a dramatic turn at a particular meal time. Lavazza and Reichlin (2018) take this opportunity to review the ethics committee’s decision to give into Oscar’s request. The authors highlight the difficulty of resolving the case solely based on considerations of autonomy. They suggest that autonomy may not be the only value that should be used in such cases. I agree with their conclusion, but for different reasons than the authors put forward.