Tag / patient autonomy
-
![]()
Case Study: Overruling a Patient’s Religious Refusal of Blood Transfusions
Mrs. Genericson refused blood transfusions as a Jehovah’s Witness, then lost consciousness. Her family says her faith was wavering. Whose decision stands? The Center for Practical Bioethics.
-
![Person holding their had up with the word "no" inked on their palm.]()
Case Study: Refusing Life-Saving Surgery, Overruling a Parent’s Prior Wishes
Bioethics case study on autonomy, consent and capacity — when a patient with capacity refuses life-saving surgery, can a surrogate later overrule his prior wishes? Center for Practical Bioethics.
-
![Ask a Bioethicist Special Edition logo of a compass.]()
Ask a Bioethicist: One case. Three bioethicists analyze.
Ask a Bioethicist: One case, three bioethicists analyze. The clinical ethics case: a Jehovah’s Witness patient’s blood transfusion refusal versus her family’s consent. Read how autonomy and beneficence collide. The July 2026 Ethics Dispatch is the first quarterly special edition called Ask a Bioethicist. The Center for Practical Bioethics.
-
![A graphic stating the Ethics Dispatch is like an ethics committee meeting in a box. With four topic sections: monthly hot topic, new clinical ethics case study, current bioethics news stories and ethical musing essay.]()
The Most Important Ethical Challenge of Our Time: Remaining in Conversation
The June 2026 Ethics Dispatch explores patient autonomy, transgender health policy, medical decision-making, and the ethical role of empathy in clinical practice — with a real-world ethics case study. The Center for Practical Bioethics.
-
![Two people with their arms crossed to suggest a disagreement.]()
Case Study: Pregnancy Termination
This pregnancy termination clinical ethics case study regards a 32-year-old patient presenting with a likely nonviable pregnancy at 10 weeks gestation raises critical questions about patient autonomy, informed consent, and physician paternalism when her OB/GYN refuses to prescribe termination medication pending a follow-up scan. Center for Practical Bioethics.
