O uporczywej terapii oraz środkach zwyczajnych i nadzwyczajnych w polskim kontekście bioetycznym. Na marginesie dwóch debat Polskiego Towarzystwa Bioetycznego
About Persistent Therapy and Ordinary and Extraordinary Means in the Polish Bioethical Context: On the Margin of Two Debates of the Polish Bioethics Society

Summary/Abstract: In this paper, I consider an opinion concerning of resignation from the term ‘persistent therapy’ and the need to replace it with the term ‘medical futility’. I also consider the usability of the division of medical means into ordinary and extraordinary. I present my arguments against the rejection of the term ‘persistent therapy’ as well as I try to show that the classification of medical means, which it combines the concept pairs “proportionate/ disproportionate” and “ordinary/extraordinary,” may serve as an effective aid in making decisions on abandoning persistent therapy both for the physician and for the patient. The subject-matter of my reflection is the definition of persistent therapy elaborated by the Polish Working Group for End-of-Life Ethics and its modified version. The basic context of the analyses consists of opinions of some authors taking part in debates on persistent therapy and medical futility held by the Polish Bioethics Society.

• Details
• Contents