A blog of the Emory University Center for Ethics and the Healthcare Ethics Consortium

​For the third time this week, you’ve been assigned to the ICU where Harold is on day 386 of mechanical ventilation. A young man, the father of four children, with a career as a financial planner ahead of him, Harold suffered a catastrophic brain injury during surgery for a chronic disease. After long months of ICU visits and unanswered prayers at the bedside, his family rarely visits him. Nonetheless, Harold’s mother remains steadfast to her promise to fulfill his wish that

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes patients to progressively lose control of voluntary muscles responsible for movements like chewing, walking, talking, and breathing. No cure exists and disease progression is highly variable. Due to the severity of symptoms and their impact upon patient and caregiver quality of life, the need for palliative and supportive care services for patients with ALS has been clearly identified. However, rec