For instance, after being hit by a drunk driver in September 1992, Gayle Taira was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). As a result of her TBI, Gayle’s ability to signal and verbally express herself were limited (Amundson & Taira, 2005). While being transported to another centre for treatment via an elevator, Gayle overhead two health care professionals tactlessly discussing their viewpoint on her current situation in front of her. While discussing the injuries that accompanied Gayle’s TBI, one of the women said “You know, I’d kill myself if that ever happened to me. I don’t want to end up like that” with such an opinion, it is not possible to assume that physicians would be able to refrain from imposing their views while determining if a patient desire to end their life is logical. For example, if Gayle expressed a willingness to have physician-assisted suicide from the two health care professionals that were discussing her condition, it is likely that they would deem her cogent since they would believe that wanting to die would be an appropriate decision when an individual has a disability.
The experience that Gayle endured in the elevator of her treatment center denotes