PHILOSOPHY - BIOETHICS 2: Should Healthcare Decisions Be Up to the Patient

In this Wireless Philosophy video, we’ll investigate why the ultimate decision about a patient’s care should be up to the patient themselves, despite the medical expertise of their healthcare provider.
View our Bioethics learning module and other videos in this series here: www.wi-phi.com...

[@chenphilosophy]

Decisions should be made in conjunction with the doctor, but patients with decision-making capacity may refuse care, even if it's life saving. In cases where patients don't have capacity, medical decisions are to be made in conjunction with the surrogate.

[@mikewood3203]

The argument fails when you refer to the doctor having special knowledge or is an expert. This position may hold when referring to a specialist in a particular area, yet that is even a weak position. Doctors have no special or specific knowledge that can't be learned by anyone. What they do have is the power of the state to limit your ability to access the necessary drugs and facilities to provide for your own healthcare.