A Judge's Role in End-of-Life Decisions

This article from The Morning Call (PA) looks at the difficult role a county judge must sometimes play in determining end-of-life care decisions when a patient's wishes are unclear. Judge Edward Reibman discusses the challenges:

'I'm sitting there on the bench, I'm supposed to make this decision based on the law, a sound rational decision,'' he said. ''How do I make sure that my own biases don't dictate that decision?''

His search for answers led him to convene a panel earlier this month, a talk that those who attended said probably will be the first of many. Reibman called together doctors, lawyers, religious leaders and court-appointed guardians, all charged with helping make decisions for others.

They all agreed on one thing -- the right choices are seldom clear.

''The reasonable person standard sounds great, until the rubber hits the road,'' Reibman told more than two dozen assembled at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest to discuss what has become an increasingly complex issue.