Advanced and End-of-Life Care

Chapter 4 considers proposals for advanced and end-of-life care and for helping the general public make decisions about such care. Possible conflicts are identified between the aim of respecting people’s preferences and meeting objective standards of best practices, satisfying family preferences, and meeting requirements of informed consent. The chapter considers in detail questions suggested for conversations about advanced and end of life care. It locates imprecision, nudging, and framing effects in those questions that may interfere with their correctly eliciting people’s preferences. It also suggests that there may be attempts to promote specific values and goals favored by end-of-life care professionals, such as peacefulness and avoiding invasive treatments. The possible connection between the aim of a good life to the end and the use of assisted suicide is also examined.