There is no commonly held distinction between obligatory beneficence and ideal beneficence.

Kevorkian was not a pathologist or a surgeon.

Using active means to bring about death is exemplified by Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act which allows physicians to write lethal doses of medication at a patient’s request.

Balancing benefits, costs, and risks is an essential part of APPLYING beneficence in medical practice.

Coercion violates the condition of voluntariness in autonomous action.

What is the “reasonable person” standard?

When a patient cannot make their own medical decisions, a surrogate is chosen based on:

Surrogate decision-making is only necessary for patients in a permanent vegetative state.

If a physician removes a respirator from a competent patient who needs it and wants to continue using it, then the action is wrong even though she only removed an artificial device and allowed nature to take its course.

Javi’s mother