... comes into play if a person cannot communicate wishes because the person is permanently unconscious or mentally incapacitated. A 1991 law called The Patient Self Determination Act (PSDA) requires hospitals and nursing homes to tell patients about their right to refuse medical treatment. People can put anything in their advance directives. Some people list every medical intervention they do not want, while ... care and treatment decision making. The days of autonomous physician ruling by fiat without much consideration of patient's wishes are slowly drawing to a close. Dramatic changes i...

• Word Count: 2107
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatments is generally accepted. Some critic's fear that based on this, euthanasia is simply a step away."(Fiesta, J., "Legal aspects of Physician-assisted suicide". Nursing Management, p.28, 1997.) Legalization would require governments to regulate the process. Some critics suggest that the legal system would have a hard time controlling euthanasia because physicians and patients act privately ... oppose euthanasia think physicians can be wrong in estimating how much time a patient has left, causing unnecessary deaths. They believe that the pub...

• Word Count: 1490
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate