"Making Decisions about your Death"
Should a doctor presented with a 22 year old unconscious woman with a tattoo that reads 'Do not resuscitate' heed the order that has been inked onto her skin?
On some level, I believe they should not help the patient, it says clearly on her body that she had made this decision about the way she wanted to die, and cared so much that it be followed she had it tattooed onto her skin in case this circumstance arose.
However, a much stronger part of me argues that as a physician one simply cannot take the risk of letting a patient die if that is not exactly what they wanted in such a life-threatening situation. What they may have wanted when planning a tattoo may not cohere with their wishes in the emergency room.
Would the situation be different if the woman was 92 rather than 22? Maybe. From a legal perspective, the three letter phrase is not binding, as the article points out. Considering the situation rationally, in my opinion there is only one course of action that can be taken: to give the patient the best chance at life that a doctor could provide, and the strongest incentive for this argument is beyond the legal and social expectations, it is simply that the risk of letting a patient die who had wanted to live is far too grave a risk.
If you're interested you can read the full article in the Student British Medical Journal
2012;20;e658 Or read it here.
Thank you for reading.
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