Mrs. K is a thirty-one-year-old Russian-speaking mother of two, who was brought in by ambulance after attempting suicide by jumping in front of train. Probable depression x months. Stressor: lost custody battle over older child. Current status: deep coma, ventilator-dependent, and prognosis grim. Next of kin is estranged husband; he demands participation in medical decision making. Legal proxy is patient's boyfriend; forcibly removed from the intensive care unit (ICU) for agitated behavior and alcohol intoxication.
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References
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See, for example, New York State Task Force on Life and Law, When Others Must Choose: Deciding for Patients Without Capacity (New York: New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, 1992).
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See, for example, Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 36–3231 (West 1998); Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 15–18.5–103 (West 1999); and S.C. Code Ann. § 44-66-30 (Law Co-op. 1998).
