Death and the Family: Ethics at the End of Life
Hybrid; In-Person in the DC/VA area or Online via Zoom

*Limited in-person seating of 25 seats

When there are medical, financial, and relationship decisions to be made at the end of life, what principles are important to consider? In recent decades, great effort has been put into articulating and implementing “patient-centered” ethics (an individual model). In his book, Is There a Duty to Die, John Hardwig, PhD, medical ethicist—and 2024 Ethics Conference Guest Lecturer—proposes a “family-centered” ethics model for end-of-life decision-making. Dr. Hardwig’s book engages this topic from various perspectives. He is a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and has focused on medical ethics throughout his career. with a signature contribution through his family-centered ethics proposal. The Bowen Center invites attendees to hear Dr. Hardwig and other presenters and consider, through presentations and discussion, how differentiation of self plays an important role when an individual family-member nears the end of life.

The conference, which satisfies requirements of practitioners seeking ethics CEs, will be valuable to general students of Bowen theory and all professionals in the mental health field, especially those involved with facing end-of-life deliberations. In-person seating for this hybrid (in-person and online) conference is limited to no more than 25 attendees, so please ​register early for a guaranteed in-person seat.

Guest Speaker

John Hardwig, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in Philosophy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Hardwig has published widely on bioethics, end-of-life issues, the role of trust in knowledge, and the role of experts. He is best-known for challenging the conventional wisdom of “patient-centered ethics,” in favor of his proposed “family-centered ethics.” Dr. Hardwig’s 1997 article on this topic was followed by his book Is There a Duty to Die and Other Essays in Medical Ethics (Routledge, 2000). His arguments have been influential among bioethicists and healthcare clinicians.