Patients have a right to decline or withdraw LVADs. Informed consent and shared decision making is not easy, however, with treatments that are high risk, high reward.
AMA J Ethics. 2019;21(5):E394-400. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2019.394.
A guardian’s request to sterilize a woman with intellectual disabilities is not ethically justifiable unless the woman assents and it is to her benefit.
AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(4):365-372. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.4.ecas2-1604.
Mandating processes that are not evidence based generates distress among patients and clinicians, so physician advocacy in national, state, and local policymaking is key.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(8):E668-674. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.668.