The Curious Case of Dax Cowart

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The concept of autonomy in the medical practice brings many different views. Autonomy is the ability individuals have to be self-governing. In these different views there exist two schools of thought, one is the belief that people are born with the ability to do what they want their body and no organization can tell them what to do with their body, like the government. On the other hand, some people believe that it is more complicated and conditional on mental competency so that person can make rational decisions. However, the majority of people seem to advocate for autonomy. A particular largely uncontroversial discussion arises with the case of Dax Cowart, who had his right to autonomy taken from him in a tragic accident and is therefore, an advocate for autonomy. As an ethics committee, we were to discuss this case in accord with four questions: can Dax Cowart refuse treatment, is no, why. If yes, then when could he be released, and if yes to the first question what would your decision be if Cowart asked for physician assisted suicide. I will be discussing the major points, consensus, and the reasons for the consensus from the committee. In addition, I will summarize the case and state my own opinion.
Dax Cowart was the victim of an unfortunate event that took his father’s life away and nearly his own. More specifically, a propane explosion caused the accident, burning more than two-thirds of Cowart’s body. He suffered from so much pain that his request to stop receiving treatment so he could die from infection was denied. There were other factors involved for his decision to die too, one was that he felt his quality of life was going to be horrible since he was disfigured with amputated fingers, and he could not w...

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...s mind, whether that is better pain treatment or a new doctor and if that doctor fails to satisfy those requests to the point of changing the patients mind then the doctor should grant the patients wish.
Cowart suffered through something almost nobody else experiences to that point that he wanted to take his own life away because of all the pain. However, he was denied his birth-given right to self-governance. Now, he is a strong advocate for autonomy and is attempting to get his story around. As an ethics committee we were to discuss whether or not he should be allowed to die and we came to the decision that people should be allowed to do what they see fit for themselves if that person is mentally competent.

Works Cited

“Confronting Death: Who Chooses, Who Controls? A dialogue between Dax Cowart and Robert Burt,” Hastings Center Report 28:1 (1998): 14-24.

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