Case Narrative W is a 32-year-old man with heart failure. Prior to diagnosis he was relatively healthy and physically fit. A trial of medication was not effective. Some members of...

Whether and under what conditions would it be legal and ethical to proceed with a vasectomy requested by D’s parents with D’s assent but without his full understanding, considering the history of forced sterilization of individuals with intellectual disabilities in the United States.

With ventilator support, Ms. J would have a 50% chance of making a full recovery. Without it she would almost certainly die. That notwithstanding, Ms. J declined to consent to the ventilator.

Despite its intended use as a treatment of last resort, some patients can remain on ECMO for weeks or months. And some are awake, alert, and capable of medical decision-making. RD was one such patient.

This is the second clinical ethics case study in our series. It concerns a patient with delusions and no surrogate decision-maker who refuses all treatment, even after a game-changing finding.

J is a 21-year-old male with multiple disabilities. He has a brain tumor. Would he benefit enough from brain surgery?