Assignment task:
Controversies about decisions to withhold certain life-prolonging procedures (such as artificial feeding or ventilator dependence) from incompetent, terminally ill patients occasionally make headlines on social media. Which of the following is a summary of court decisions when the family does not have advanced directives?
A. Foregoing such procedures is legally justifiable when there would be no apparent therapeutic benefit
B. It is the court's and medical professional's responsibility to preserve life at almost any cost
C. Decision-making should be requested from the spouse or closest next of kin relative to the patient's best interest
D. Preservation of life or acting cautiously is the best way to preserve the ethical integrity of the medical profession