Starfleet Members and Advance Health Care Directive

[Kilana2]

Following the fate of Elias Vaughn, who grew to me, makes me wonder, why he obviously did not have an advance directive in case he get seriously injured beyond recovery. As a starfleet veteran it is very likely something unforeseen happens to him. In Elias case, his daughter Prynn took over responsiblity. She couldn´t let him go. Elias killed his feeble Mirror Alter Ego, so I don´t think he would have liked it to waste away like that himself.
I guess, he could have made arrangements for health care directive, but simply delayed it until it was too late.

 

[Elias Vaughn]

I like you too!

 

[Kilana2]

I can see the problem with having such an arrangement: McCoys father David begged his son to switch off the machines, leaving his son with a guilty conscious after learning that they eventually found a cure, advance directive or not.

 

[Christopher]

I can see the problem with having such an arrangement: McCoys father David begged his son to switch off the machines, leaving his son with a guilty conscious after learning that they eventually found a cure, advance directive or not.

Well, for one thing, that's not what an advance directive is. If David McCoy had had such a preference on file, he wouldn't have needed to talk his son into it; it would already be his established wish. The whole idea of such a directive is to have your preferences prerecorded in the event that you're unconscious or unable to communicate.

Besides, a single unfortunate instance doesn't invalidate the broader principle, any more than the occasional plane crash means we should give up flying. In many cases, no cure would be found and the patient would just go on suffering. I do tend to side with McCoy in this particular instance, but it's a case where David was still conscious and able to think, which is not the best example for this kind of thing.

 

[Kilana2]

I can see the problem with having such an arrangement: McCoys father David begged his son to switch off the machines, leaving his son with a guilty conscious after learning that they eventually found a cure, advance directive or not.

Well, for one thing, that's not what an advance directive is. If David McCoy had had such a preference on file, he wouldn't have needed to talk his son into it; it would already be his established wish. The whole idea of such a directive is to have your preferences prerecorded in the event that you're unconscious or unable to communicate.

Besides, a single unfortunate instance doesn't invalidate the broader principle, any more than the occasional plane crash means we should give up flying. In many cases, no cure would be found and the patient would just go on suffering. I do tend to side with McCoy in this particular instance, but it's a case where David was still conscious and able to think, which is not the best example for this kind of thing.

I agree with McCoys decision, too. David was still conscious and actively demanded assisted dying. Knowing that a cure was forthcoming was beyond McCoy.
Good thing that contemporary ethical/medical issues are covered in 24th century ST, like Prynn and Elias and how they deal with it. Elias didn’t have a prerecorded document, Bashir couldn´t help him and the decision was up to Prynn how to proceed . Elias was more than 100 years old and had a dangerous job, but no directive. I can´t blame him, neither do I. I still have relatives in case something unexpected happens to me (plane crash unlikely, tram crash possibly). But I would feel uncomfortable to pass my decision on to someone else. At least I still have time for making up my mind. But people tend to postpone the wording of AHCDs or having a organ donor card, because they don´t want to think about dying.
I feel with Prynn, who had a hard time to let her father go despite of his low quality of life, but finally acceded.

 

[Christopher]

I agree with McCoys decision, too. David was still conscious and actively demanded assisted dying. Knowing that a cure was forthcoming was beyond McCoy.

Sorry, that's not what I meant. I meant that I agree with his later sentiment that he made a mistake by helping his father die when there was still hope for him. It was premature.

 

[Kilana2]

Yes, it was premature.

But it is difficult for someone to be able to relate to situations like that without having been forced to make such a tough decision by him/herself. (now I sound like a Hermat)

 

[Christopher]

But it is difficult for someone to be able to relate to situations like that without having been forced to make such a tough decision by him/herself.

Which is part of the reason for advance directives and DNRs -- to spare one's family of the burden of having to make that choice. My father had his DNR on file years in advance, so that when the time came, it wasn't left to me to make that unbearable decision; it was simply a matter of respecting his wishes.