The aging population of the United States and advances in medicine have resulted in increasing numbers of people who must make decisions about medical care at the end of life. End-of-life decision-making is complex, involving questions of law, ethics, religion, economics, public policy, and the limits of medicine. Our group of expert panelists will explore the legal, medical, and ethical issues surrounding some of the more pressing of these end-of-life issues – advanced directives, health care rationing, medical futility, and palliative care.
Many believe that advance directives are the best way to assure that our end-of-life medical treatment preferences will be honored. Too often, however, such documents are difficult for doctors to interpret or to follow, and sometimes unprepared family members still disagree about the patient’s care. This panel will explore these and other legal, ethical, and practical issues in the preparation and use of these important documents.
William H. Colby J.D.
Barbara Blumer J.D.
Gay Moldow BSN, MSW, LICSW.
Events @wmitchell.edu
(651) 290-6400
Cost: $35
Application will be made
for 1 standard CLE credit per panel.
Medical treatment near the end of life consumes a startling percentage of the health care dollar. Many believe that our society can no longer afford to avoid a searching inquiry into the way in which we allocate our medical resources. This panel will discuss this difficult and timely issue.
Professor Kim Dayton
Victor Sandler M.D.
Ruth Mickelsen J.D., M.P.H.
Many argue that “medical futility” is a hopelessly subjective, value-laden concept that should never be the basis of a unilateral decision by doctors to refuse to provide certain medical treatments at the end of life. Others argue that it sets an important and realistic limit on unfettered patient and family choice. This panel will explore the difficulties of defining futile treatment and of crafting policies to deal with it.
Ann Russell J.D., M.S.W.
Dr. Dianne Bartels
Don Brunnquell Ph.D.
Also featuring William H. Colby…
A frank discussion about how we die in America
Everyone believes in the importance of good palliative
care at the end of life, but what does that mean? For
some it means better access to hospice care. For
others, it raises issues of physician-assisted suicide and
the line between killing and allowing to die. This panel
will look at what good end-of-life palliative care involves,
the legal and ethical implications of providing it, and the
critical importance of improving access to it.
Howard Epstein M.D.
Professor Phebe Haugen
Carolyn Coffin R.N.
William Mitchell College of Law, founded in 1900, is an independent, private law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota. The college is known for cultivating practical wisdom and for creating an environment that welcomes both traditional and non-traditional law students. The largest law school in Minnesota, William Mitchell has produced many distinguished leaders at the bench and bar and in the business and civic arenas, among them the 15th Chief Justice of the United States, Warren E. Burger ’31.