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The article discusses conflicts and tensions between health care professionals, patients and their families in ethics consultations. Topics discussed include legal regime governing surrogate decision making as highly complex, pregnancy exclusions impacting health care providers in the exercise of their autonomy and professional judgment and ethicist providing guidance based on patient rights, principles and the family's narrative.

The article discusses a case study of a 32-year-old pregnant woman, Lana from Arkansas found lying lifeless on the bathroom floor. Topics include pulmonary embolism and subsequent severe anoxic brain injury revealed from testing, not expected to regain consciousness and due to this husband Dan, with support from Lana's parents asked for life support removal and allow natural death, but withdrawing life support from a pregnant woman with a potentially viable fetus prohibited in the state law.

The article discusses importance of ethics rather than law during complex medical cases. Topics discussed include recommendations from the ethics consultation involving process for moving forward and encouragement for higher level deliberation, exhibition of moral courage in representing the values of those not present and highlighting the value of respectful discourse and affirming the moral courage of those taking on the burden of decision making and voicing views.

The article discuses ethical and legal issues faced by ethics consultants dealing with patients nearing the end of lives whether at an advanced age or after illness or trauma. Topics discussed include good ethics starting with good facts therefore collection of information from involved parties, information about patients personal goals and values and execution of an advance directive authorizing agent to make health care decision by adult as per the Arkansas Healthcare Decisions Act (AHDA).