Gawande, "Whose Body Is It, Anyway?"

'''Discussion questions: Gawande, "Whose Body Is It Anyway?" (first publ. 1999)'''

1. What are the ethical arguments for and against letting patients make their own medical decisions? What is Gawande actually arguing in this essay?

2. Can we assume that medical professionals can generally determine each patient's "deepest goals" (216)? If not, does that undermine Gawande's argument for doctors making decisions for patients whose own decisions may seem to go against their own goals? How might living wills or end-of-life statements help sort out the ethical puzzles Gawande explores in this essay?

3. Gawande frames his argument with two case studies of patients who made bad decisions. The one who was overruled had an outcome closer to his wishes than the one who got his own way. Does using these examples help prove Gawande's case? Or does it feel like he's picking examples that support him and failing to consider those that don't?

4. Gawande also uses a personal example, his daughter. How well does it support his arguments? In the essay, how does he intertwine telling that story and analyzing its relevance?