Authors:

Adam Siemiatkowski

Date Created:

Not specified

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About Paper:

Transformative experiences, as conceived by philosopher L.A. Paul, are experiences with two characteristics: (1) prior to actually experiencing them, one cannot know what going through them is like, and (2) going through these experiences changes our outlook, usually through a change in perspective or values. For example, becoming a parent is an experience most cannot truly understand until they become one, and doing so changes most people's values/beliefs. Many medical procedures fall into the category of a transformative experience, such as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and gender affirming care. However, this calls into question a patient's ability to give informed consent to these procedures. At face value, it seems that the 73 experiential and outcome-related information necessary to give informed consent are inaccessible prior to the treatment. This research aims to resolve this bioethical issue, with the goal of understanding how to best secure patient autonomy and well-being during transformative medical procedures. A variety of current literature is referenced and evaluated, along with conceptual analysis of informed consent through consideration of multiple bioethical lenses, such as autonomy and duty of care. This research further clarifies exactly what information patients have access to prior to these procedures. From there, it argues that there is sufficient similarity between the relevant knowledge available to patients undergoing transformative procedures and those undergoing standard procedures. By virtue of this parity argument, while certain precautions must be taken, this research finds there is no ethical issue with administering transformative procedures.

Source:

Columbia / Chemistry, Mathematics- / 2028

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Adam Siemiatkowski