End of Life

The end of life can be a difficult and challenging time for individuals and families, particularly with respect to medical issues and concerns. The articles in this section address ethical issues that arise surrounding end-of-life care including withholding and withdrawing of treatment, terminal sedation, determination of death, DNR (“do not resuscitate”) orders, artificial nutrition and hydration (“feeding tubes”), euthanasia, assisted suicide, as well as the availability and opportunities associated with palliative medicine and hospice care. CBHD also provides an advance directive form in both English and Spanish.

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

• Michael Sleasman, “Bioethics Past, Present, and Future: Important Signposts in Human Dignity” (An overview of bioethics and the breadth of issues it encompasses)
• Harold O. J. Brown and Robert Orr, “Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Overview”
• Edward Grant, “Advance Medical Directives in the Era of Health Care Reform: Who Decides?”
• Information on POLST: “Physical Death Is Certain and Permanent: A Review of the POLST Paradigm” and “Back to the Future? POLST and End-of-Life Law”
• Edward Grant, “Cracks in the Wall: Confronting the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia”
• Howard Ducharme and Robert Kingsbury, “Two Perspectives on Total/Terminal/Palliative Sedation”
• John Dunlop, “The Feeding Tube Dilemma: Key Questions"
• Robert Cranston, “Withholding or Withdrawing of Artificial Nutrition and Hydration”
• Audio resource on “The Cult of Human Health and the Key to Flourishing in Sickness: Excerpts from ‘Human Flourishing—In Sickness and in Health’” and “A Public Debate on Legalizing Physician Assisted Suicide”
• Video resources from our Academy of Fellow Consultations on “Hope for Youth and the Youth of Hope” and “Hope and Care at the End of Life”