The Limits of a Wish

Abstract

...The petition for judicial relief of a professionally morally\noppressive request by Mrs. Wanglie's family properly belongs in a court of\nlaw. It is time to establish the limits of patients' autonomy to demand\nhealth care that the medical profession believes serves no benefit. In the\ncase of Helga Wanglie, the providers have asserted a moral position consistent\nwith that articulated collectively by the critical care health professions. \nThese issues are so fundamental that the ruling in Wanglie will usher in a new\nchapter in our efforts to respect the individual freedom of both patients