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Revival, Resuscitation, and Resurrection: The Rights of Passage

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Ethical Dimensions of Geriatric Care

Part of the book series: Philosophy and Medicine ((PHME,volume 25))

Abstract

This essay is about decisions concerning the resuscitation of the aged, how they mirror general social policy towards the elderly, and how they characterize and occasionally define tacit and otherwise unrecognized attitudes and prejudices. It examines whether resuscitation should be carried out automatically whenever death threatens, or whether, in certain situations, the obligation to resuscitate is suspended. It asks whether there is only a prima facie, rather than an absolute obligation to resuscitate; whether the attainment of a certain age modifies this obligation by restricting either the obligation to resuscitate or the right to be resuscitated; and whether there is any change when death threatens unexpectedly rather than after a long and painful illness. Finally, it questions whether the patient’s or the family’s wishes or beliefs enable or compel the modification of this obligation in any way, and whether there is a distinct obligation to respect, elicit, or even to leave advance directives (e.g., a “living will”). There are no simple answers to any of these questions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Washington, D.C., USA

    Teo Forcht Dagi

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  1. Teo Forcht Dagi
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Humanistic Studies in Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA

    Stuart F. Spicker Ph.D. (Professor of Community Medicine and Health Care (philosophy) (Professor of Community Medicine and Health Care (philosophy)

  2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Missouri at Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA

    Stanley R. Ingman Ph.D. (Associate Professor of Behavioral Science (sociology) (Associate Professor of Behavioral Science (sociology)

  3. School of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA

    Ian R. Lawson M.D., F.R.C.P (Edin.), F.A.C.P. (Clinical Professor of Community Medicine and Health Care (geriatric medicine) (Clinical Professor of Community Medicine and Health Care (geriatric medicine)

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© 1987 D. Reidel Publishing Company

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Dagi, T.F. (1987). Revival, Resuscitation, and Resurrection: The Rights of Passage. In: Spicker, S.F., Ingman, S.R., Lawson, I.R. (eds) Ethical Dimensions of Geriatric Care. Philosophy and Medicine, vol 25. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3391-0_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3391-0_8

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  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8020-0

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