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Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics pp 1–10Cite as

Advance Directive

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Abstract

This entry will discuss the historical developments, legal policies, and ethics related to advance directives. The historical and political information discussed is mostly based on cases from the USA and Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). The development of the US legal system is particularly important, due to its elaboration and influences on other countries. The Benelux countries also deserve special mention, due to their recent legalization of active euthanasia and the use of advance directives as a means to request it. The second half of this entry will discuss moral issues that relate to advance directives. Though the binding authorities of advance directives are strongly supported by the values of self-determination and the best interests of the individual, various objections to such binding authority will be addressed. Some objections point to the prevalence of practical obstacles that hamper the realization of these two values through the use of advance directives. Other objections emphasize the need for balancing these supporting values against other values that could prevent the absolute authority of advance directives from being realized.

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References

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Further Reading

  • Sass, H.-M., Veatch, R. M., & Kimura, R. (Eds.). (1998). Advance directives and surrogate decision making in health care: United States, Germany, and Japan. Baltimore/London: Johns Hopkins University Press.

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Acknowledgment

Hitoshi Arima is supported in writing this article by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Grant Number 4720002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Urban, Social, and Cultural Studies, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan

    Hitoshi Arima

  2. Department of Biomedical Ethics, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan

    Akira Akabayashi

Authors
  1. Hitoshi Arima
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  2. Akira Akabayashi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hitoshi Arima .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Duquesne University Center for Healthcare Ethics, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Henk ten Have

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Arima, H., Akabayashi, A. (2014). Advance Directive. In: ten Have, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05544-2_8-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05544-2_8-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-05544-2

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