The Total Artificial Heart and the Dilemma of Deactivation

Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 26 (4):347-367 (2016)
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Abstract

It is widely believed to be permissible for a physician to discontinue any treatment upon the request of a competent patient. Many also believe it is never permissible for a physician to intentionally kill a patient. I argue that the prospect of deactivating a patient’s artificial heart presents us with a dilemma: either the first belief just mentioned is false or the second one is. Whichever horn of the dilemma we choose has significant implications for contemporary medical ethics.

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Ben Bronner
George Washington University

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