Ethical Disobedience: Harm, Futility, and the Slow Code

Join the University of Minnesota for the next in its Unpacking Bedside Bioethics series on August 18, 2026. Jason Wasserman presents "Ethical Disobedience: Harm, Futility, and the Slow Code."

This session examines the ethical status of slow codes — resuscitation attempts intentionally performed without genuine effort — in cases where CPR is futile or medically inappropriate but where implementing a DNAR order is challenging or conflict-ridden. 

Clinicians in such situations face a moral trilemma: perform harmful interventions, unilaterally refuse care, or perform a slow code. None of these is particularly ethically attractive. We survey the longstanding bioethics consensus condemning slow codes and evaluate the arguments for and against that position. We then consider whether slow codes might be justified as a form of ethical disobedience against legislative and judicial overreach that compels harmful care. Finally, we will critically examine claims that time-limited trials of futile CPR represent an ethically acceptable compromise.

Learning Objectives: After this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Describe the conditions that give rise to the dilemma between providing futile or inappropriate CPR and unilaterally withholding it.
• Identify and evaluate arguments for and against slow codes as an ethically permissible option in the face of demands for futile or inappropriate CPR.
• Analyze the permissibility of slow codes within a non-ideal ethics framework, particularly with respect to legislative or judicial overreach.
• Critically examine claims about time-limited trials of futile or inappropriate CPR as an ethically tolerable compromise.