The Case of Hannah Capes: How Much Does Consciousness Matter?

Plain-language summary

In our article, we use the case of Hannah Capes, a young woman with severe brain injury who showed occasional signs of awareness but couldn't communicate, to explore how much consciousness should matter in medical decision-making. We examine whether having even minimal awareness should change the ethical obligations of caregivers and society compared to patients in a completely unresponsive state. Our analysis reveals that our judgments about quality of life are often inconsistent and biased, leading to potentially unfair treatment of those with severe brain injuries. This matters because it forces us to confront difficult questions about which lives we consider worth living and how we allocate care and resources.