Chapter 5 Reading Goals

  • Be able to explain the following key distinctions, their historical importance, and their limitations in practice:
    • Killing versus letting die;
    • Intending versus foreseeing harmful outcomes;
    • Withholding versus withdrawing life-sustaining treatments; and
    • Sustenance technologies versus medical treatments.
  • Explain the essential elements in a professional model of “due care” and how these elements relate to the issue of professional malpractice.
  • List and explain the necessary conditions for overriding the prima facie obligation to provide or continue medical treatment.
  • List and explain the qualifications for surrogate decision makers for noncompetent patients.
  • Explain the concept of group harm in research, and offer examples to illustrate.
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