Pregnant, yet Dead: Autonomy and the Right to Life in the Strange Case of Marlise Munoz
The Bioethics Institute is happy to host Ana Iltis, PhD, the President-Elect for the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities, as she comments on the compelling nature of bioethics in the United States. The evening will begin with a screening of the award-winning short documentary “62 Days” (29 minutes) which tells the story of a Texas emergency medical technician, Marlise Munoz, who dies from a brain embolism when she is 6 weeks pregnant. Texas law required the hospital to attach Mrs. Munoz to life-sustaining machinery, despite her written Advanced Directive indicated she did not want this and against the wishes of her husband and other immediate family. The film documents the public debate and court battle that unfolds over 62 days. Dr. Iltis will use this as a spring board into reflection on American notions of autonomy, rights of women and fetuses, and the complicated nature of regulated social norms.
Ana Iltis, PhD
Director of the Center for Bioethics, Health and Society at Wake Forest University
President-Elect, American Society for Bioethics & Humanities
Screening of a 29-minute documentary, followed by remarks.
Event information here.