Labeling Patient (In)Competence: A Feminist Analysis of Medico-Legal Discourse

Seeks to lay bare the possibility of biases, including gender, in medico-legal patient competence assessments, as well as to prompt further explorations that would foster another important step in feminist health care ethics, &, more broadly, feminist theories of knowledge & power. First, the "social construction of mental competence" is explicated & clarified. Next, it is contended that multiple factors indicate that women, more than men, may be more likely to be evaluated for competence & found incompetent. Last, some areas for further investigation are suggested, & recommendations are offered for education, empowerment, & improved patient care, especially for women who may be presently discriminated against by the values, procedures, & relationships involved in the competence evaluation. References. K. Coddon