Life as a Work of Art

Abstract

The decision of a physically incapacitated person to refuse food while under medical care creates conflict between patient and care givers. Cassell contrasts the situation of Elizabeth Bouvia, a 26-year-old cerebral palsy victim who lost a legal battle to force hospital care while she starved herself, with the hypothetical case of a stroke victim who, in a nonconfrontational manner and with the cooperation of her physician, also refuses to eat. He sees the "ugliness" of the Bouvia situation as resulting from a narrow pursuit of autonomy resulting in a conflict between individual and institutional rights. Cassell concludes that such cases indicate the need for a wider framework of values, within which autonomy functions continuously in decision making, allowing patients and health personnel to forge bonds to meet the needs of both. (KIE abstract)