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Full-Text Articles in Medical Jurisprudence
Avoiding Prolonged Dementia, Norman L. Cantor
Avoiding Prolonged Dementia, Norman L. Cantor
Norman Cantor
The scourge of Alzheimer's is daunting. For me, the specter of being mired in progressively degenerative dementia is an intolerably degrading prospect. One avoidance tactic -- suicide while still competent – risks a premature demise while still enjoying a tolerable lifestyle. The question arises whether an alternative tactic -- an advance directive declining all life-sustaining intervention once a certain point of debilitation is reached -- might be preferable as a device to avoid a prolonged, unwanted limbo. My article in the forthcoming Hastings Center Report (HCR) presents the legal and moral foundation for my advance directive declining even simplistic interventions …