Notes
1. Note that even the methods that would have relevancy (i.e., excessive drinking or exercising) are relevant ethical considerations concerning the assessment of the agent, rather than an assessment of his or her decision to end the relationship.This commentary benefited from the editorial skills of Christina Guajardo. Moreover, this commentary was possible because of a clinical ethics fellowship in the Section of Integrated Ethics in cancer care at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and departmental support from Drs. Gallagher, Moore, and Farroni, and from Brittany Campbell and Grace Adulmassih.
I number and list these conditions for ease of presentation.
Both voluntariness and capacity are conditions for informed consent in medicine. Moreover, decision-making capacity is typically regarded as having four components: understanding, appreciation, communication, and rational deliberation.