2023 Ethics Grand Rounds: Including Strangers and Excluding Friends: How Surrogate Law Fails Patients

Thursday, February 2, 2023, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY

When incapable patients have not previously appointed, and cannot currently appoint, a surrogate decision-maker, most states have statutory laws that direct medical teams to a default surrogate. Often, these laws include lists of relationships like spouse, adult child, parent, and adult sibling and require that surrogates be authorized in order of priority of relationship. But why do we use closeness of relationship to authorize surrogates? After all, “who would be a good surrogate decision maker?” and  “which is my closest relationship?” are questions that can provide different answers. I argue that lists of relationships are a coarse measure of degree of acquaintanceship, which is what these laws are really interested in, and how closely acquainted we are to someone else doesn’t always track the relevant moral values. Furthermore, I argue that the most relevant moral values are being well-placed to be a decision-maker and relational respect. This analysis provides me with the tools to show how the laws in most U.S. states, including New York, are morally unjustified.

Free Live Program

Information to  Join via Webex below:

1. Understand how the rules appointing default surrogates differ significantly across U.S. states.
2. Evaluate the relative merits of each approach in light of moral values.
3. Make a judgement about which approach you think is most morally justified.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (1.00 hours), General Attendance (1.00 hours)

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Albany Medical College reserves the right to cancel or postpone this program if necessary; in the event of cancellation, course fees will be fully refunded. We are not responsible for other costs incurred such as non-refundable airline tickets or hotel penalties.

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