(New York Times) – A pacemaker can solve the problem; without one, it can be fatal.

But he did not want a pacemaker. His doctors called the psychiatrists to come see him, as we do when people are making decisions that don’t make sense to us. But he clearly understood the consequences. He articulated to everyone who asked that although he did not want to die, he would prefer death to a pacemaker’s potential complications, especially the possibility of infection. Importantly, the psychiatrists also unearthed a history of refusing medical interventions; this was not an arbitrary position, but part of a longstanding value system of sorts. (Read More)