An Individuals Right to Refuse Medical Care Case Study

An Individuals Right to Refuse Medical Care - Case Study Example The historical perspective is, to be brief, the fact that Terri Schiavo had a head injury which significantly impaired her. An autopsy later revealed that her brain had no significant cognitive functioning, with no chance of recovery. Overall, â€Å"there is no easy fix that will make end-of-life decision making simple and conflict-free.†1 Legislation was put through allowing for feeding-tube removal. An individual has the right to refuse medical care, but usually, they will have to sign a form saying that they have been informed of their necessity for medical care—and are consciously making the decision not to receive medical care by outrightly refusing it. This has various potential outcomes, one of which is if appropriate medical treatment is not received, what will happen then? The moral and ethical issues present include the following: whether someone can or cannot insert a feeding tube without the patient’s consent; whether someone can or cannot insert an I V without the patient’s consent; and whether or not someone can or cannot hydrate a patient without the patient’s consent. Governor Jeb Bush passed â€Å"Terri’s Law,† stating that Terri’s feeding tube could be removed—a legislative move. My ethical position on the issue is that Terri’s feeding tube and hydration should not have been discontinued. In fact, I protested these end-of-life procedures when the Schiavo case was happening, in order to garner attention to how upset I felt that her rights were being violated.