Advance Directive Act in Uruguay
Commendable intention with a few inconsistencies
Abstract
Act 18.473 and Decree 385/013 which regulates it, were intended to provide a normative framework for individuals to state their preferences about certain medical acts when they are still capable of consenting to them, exercising their autonomy in advance, in light of the potential loss of their decision-making capacity. Therefore, the fact of performing or not a medical act, will not depend on the consent capacity of the individual at that precise moment, what differentiates it from the regular informed consent. This article aims to analyse the possible inconsistencies between what the law intended to achieve and what is actually authorized today. Certain aspects studied could at least partially explain why this norm is still very hard to enforce even after being effective for over 12 years.
References
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