Consent from decades ago, refusal today

The options

The order shown is not a ranking of preference.

1. Option 1

   Confirm the current intention in a new document

   Leaves the present choice open but must handle changes in condition and later regret.

2. Option 2

   Proceed one more cycle under the existing agreement

   Carries forward past intentions but may treat the present refusal too lightly.

3. Option 3

   A contract including a short reconfirmation period

   Gains deliberation time but takes on cost and constraints on the treatment schedule.

The situation as it stands

In this world, each treatment cycle requires a long-term care and observation contract. Decision deadline: 90 days until registration for the next long-term treatment cycle.

Fictional longevity treatment community

1. Premise 1In this world, each treatment cycle requires a long-term care and observation contract.
2. Premise 2The stakeholder left a document decades ago stating that they wanted every treatment then available.
3. Premise 3They now do not want some treatments, but family and the agent do not agree on how to interpret the change in intention.

Where it holdsAgrees on the stakeholder's intention to continue treatment and on surrogate procedures. It cannot guarantee the effects of the treatment technology or the healthcare institution's obligation to provide it.

What is still unknown

1. Unknown 1Interpretive standard to use when expressing intention becomes difficult
2. Unknown 2Life experiences the stakeholder values on each treatment path

Signals to decide again

• Define the observation, owner, and confirmation window that will establish "the interpretive standard to use when expressing intention becomes difficult," and rejudge when new confirmation changes the tradeoff among the options.
• Define the observation, owner, and confirmation window that will establish "the life experiences the stakeholder values on each treatment path," and rejudge when new confirmation changes the tradeoff among the options.