Prior declaration of will of the terminal patient: a bioethical consideration

Abstract

The scientific and technological development brings unquestionable benefits to many spheres of human health. Therapeutic innovations and possibilities of interventions in human life processes, such as the artificial extension of life, have constantly amazed us. Therefore, we need to think carefully in order to discuss medical-therapeutic limitations, taking into account the principle of respect for autonomy, and lay down new guidelines seeking to meet the will of a terminal patient. By using the dialectic method as a guide to the investigation and analysis process, the present article sought to grasp the different perspectives to which the current discussion is subject. The approach to the statement is still poorly known, although it has lately been the main focus in the regulatory setting. This debate is expected to be able to provide inputs to the current discussion, so that new actions can be taken aiming at the key proposal of the statement itself: the guarantee of complying with a terminal patient’s will.