单项选择题
You are the ICU attending physician taking care of a 40-year-old gay
man with AIDS who is intubated with his third bout of pneumocystis
pneumonia. His condition is worsening steadily and he has not
responded to appropriate antibiotic therapy. The patient's longtime
partner, Richard, has a signed durable power of attorney (DPOA) and
states that if the patient's condition becomes futile the patient would
not want ongoing ventilation. As the ICU attending you decide that
ongoing intubation is futile. You consult with Richard and decide to
remove the patient from the ventilator to allow him to die in the
morning. The patient's Roman Catholic parents arrive from Kansas
and threaten a lawsuit if the ventilator is withdrawn.
Who is the legal decision maker here?