The situation in which AB, FB, and the health cate team find themselves is not uncommon. AB, as a result of his ongoing infection, is delirious and lacks decision-making capacity. His living will uses generalities like "heroic," "irreversible," and "artificial," all amenable to multiple interpretations and offering no clear guidance. His wife is deceased. Without other legally appointed decision-makers, responsibility falls to his next-of-kin, his only son.FB assuredly feels internal discord. On the one hand, he is AB's medical decision-maker and ought to be able to make a substituted judgmentin other words, what AB "would have wanted." On the other hand, he is also AB's primary caregiver and will himself be impacted by whatever decision he makes.
展开▼
