Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide by Kirin Kennedy
Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide by Kirin Kennedy Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide Euthanasia and PAS is the most controversial issue of the legal and medical profession By Greek definition Euthanasia means a “Good Death”. Euthanasia Euthanasia- is the painless ending of a person’s life for reasons of mercy. Physician Assisted Suicide- is the act in which a physician provides the means for suicide of the incurably ill. The patient must take the final action that causes his or her death such as swallowing lethal drugs. 1 2 But What about Euthanasia Is a Good Death Is it a good and painless death when the life in someone's body is squeezed from them due to lethal drugs? Euthanasia Euthanasia is controversial and viewed by many as unconstitutional immoral and a harm to society. Euthanasia Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide (PAS) must be initiated by the person who whishes to die. Four Types of Euthanasia Active Passive Voluntary Involuntary Definitions Active Euthanasia Active euthanasia- involves “causing death of a person through a direct action and response to the person and their request Example injecting a lethal drug to end the person’s life, for the purpose of reliving suffering The Oregon Approach The Us state of Oregon legalized physician assisted suicide in 1998 A patient must be resident in Oregon. Patient must be aged over 18. Patient must make 2 oral and 1 written request for euthanasia. There must be at least 15 days between the first and the last request. Patient must be terminally ill with a life expectancy of less than 6 moths. This prognosis must be confirmed by a second consultant physician. Both doctors must confirm that the patient is capable of making this decision. Both doctors must confirm that the patient does not have medical condition that impairs their judgment. Patient must self-administer the lethal medication. The Oregon Approach About 30% of patient who started the process died before it was completed. 19 patients in the period who were given access to lethal medication decided not to use it. 45% of patients who were given good palliative care changed their mind about euthanasia. The Oregon Health Division similar terminal illnesses would have prescribes a lethal medication if asked. Passive Euthanasia Passive Euthanasia- is refraining from or stopping an action, such as life- sustaining medical treatment in order to let a terminally ill person die naturally. Voluntary and involuntary Voluntary- Is the same as active euthanasia but the patient has to be willing to have a physician assist him/her in their demise. Involuntary- Is when the patient who is in a persistent vegetative state (deep and usually permanent state of un awareness caused by damage to the higher brain AKA coma.) Two important legal documents Advance Directive Living will Advance Directive Is a document that competent adults may use to state their wishes about health care decisions on their behalf if they become incompetent. Living Will A document in which a competent adult specifies medical treatment to be given or withheld if he or she becomes incompetent. I.E. ventilator Heart and lung machine( total sustained life Food and water medicine Euthanasia is immoral Every major organized religion such as Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists, vehemently oppose Euthanasia. And believe that the Euthanasia “Violates the Patients natural Right and desire to live”. Religion St. Thomas Aquinas Scottish philosopher David Hume Both believed that euthanasia is a violation of human rights Which makes this an age old conflict and controversy. The Roman Catholic View “Euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person (Pope John Paul II: evangelium vitae, 1995) Thou shall not Kill Life is a thing of value in it’s self and it’s value doesn't depend on the extent that it brings pleasure and well-being So suffering and pain so not stop life being valuable and are not a reason for ending life. The church believes that each person should enter the dying process with all it’s mysteries with trust in God and in solidarity with their fellow human beings they should die with the dignity of letting themselves be loves unconditionally. The Roman Catholic View “As Catholic leaders and moral teachers we believe that life is the most basic gift of a loving God– a gift over which we have stewardship but not absolute dominion” ( National Conference of Catholic Bishops (USA) 1991 Euthanasia and suicide are both a rejection of God’s absolute sovereignty over life and death. The church believes that each human life is manifestation of god in the world, a sign of his presence a trace of his glory. “The Life which god offers to man is a gift by which God shares something of himself with his creature.” “True Compassion leads to sharing another’s pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear.”( Pope john Paul II ) The Hindu View Most Hindu's would say that a doctor should not accept an patient’s request for euthanasia this will cause the soul and body to be separated at an unnatural time. The result will damage the Karma of both doctor and patient. Other believe that euthanasia cannot be allowed because it breaches the teaching of ahimsa (doing no harm) Karma : Hindus believe in the reincarnation of the soul the ultimate aim of life is to achieve Moksha or liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth By helping to end a life, even one filled with suffering a person is disturbing the timing of the cycle of death and rebirth. Christian View Most Christian are against euthanasia Because Life is given by God and that human beings are made in god’s image No human being had the authority to take the life of an innocent person even if the person want to die Human’s are valuable because they are made in the image of God. The process of dying is spiritually important and should not be disrupted Patients in a persistent vegetative state although seriously damaged remain living human beings and the life remain valuable It’s wrong to treat them as worthless and conclude that they are better off dead The bible say that you should have life and life more abundantly as well as it is a sin to kill “Thou shall not kill” The Muslim View Muslims are against euthanasia They believe that all life is given by Allah and that Allah chooses hoe long each person shall live “do not tale the life which Allah made sacred other than in the course of justice” (Qur’an 17:33) “of anyone kills a person – unless it be for murder or spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed the whole person” (Qur’an 5.32each of us will live) Allah decides how long each of us will live “when their time comes they cannot delay it for a single hour nor can they bring it forward by a single hour” (Qur’an 3.145) “ And no person can ever die except by Allah's leave and at an appointed term.” (Qur’an 3.145) The Muslim View Suicide and euthanasia are explicitly forbidden “destroy not yourselves. Surely Allah is ever merciful to you.” (Qur’an 4.29) The prophet (Pbuh) said: “amongst the nations before you there was a man who got a wound, and growing impatient (with it’s pain), he took a knife and cut his hand with it and the blood did not stop till he died. Allah said, “my Slave hurried to bring death upon himself so I have forbidden Him Paradise.’” ( Sahih bukhari 4.56.669) The Buddhist View Most Buddhists are against involuntary euthanasia The most common position is that voluntary euthanasia is wrong because it demonstrates that one’s mind is in a bas state and the one has allowed physical suffering to cause mental suffering Mediation and the proper use of pain killing drugs should enable a person to attain a state where they are not in mental pain, and so no longer contemplate euthanasia or suicide Buddhist argue that helping to end someone’s life is likely to put the helper into a bad mental state, and this too should be avoided. Buddhism places great stress on non-harm and on avoid the ending of life, Medical Ethics Hippocratic oath ( suspended) Written by Greek physician Hippocrates Lived in the 4th century Considered a major statement of medical ethics and physicians often recite it at graduation from med school Basis of Oath is to do No Harm Hippocratic Oath The Hippocratic oath states “I will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgments… I will not give poison to anyone asked for nor will I make suggestion to that effect.” Is Euthanasia Constitutional and Should it be Legalized The justices of the Supreme Court unanimously decided that PAS is not a constitutionally protected right of the terminally ill. Supreme Court set precedent in these two cases. Washington v. Glucksberg Quill v. Vacco Legalization Mr. Wesley J. Smith a California attorney said it best “ That the legalization of physicians Assisted suicide would create and unethical dangerous and controlling policy that would adversely affect society… In addition the health care industry having millions of dollars at stake would have a tremendous and unrestricted incentive to encourage premature deaths in order to avoid the costs of lengthy treatments and that the legalization of assisted suicide will come at an enormous cost to society. It must be prevented.” Slippery Slope Euthanasia does not always occur in right to die cases Infants (premature) Mentally ill and handicap Elderly Minorities Uninsured as well as underinsured Impoverished Protection of Life vs. Death Law presumes life It affirms the right to die And provides no safe guard to preserve life. Euthanasia Vs. Murder Serial killer physicians Shipman Chris Cullen They are rarely caught prosecuted ands executed Closing In closing the truth about euthanasia and PAS is that in all actually if killing a child is homicide then so is the untimely murder of an adult or child. and who is to distinguish the difference between PAS and the murder of a family member for the benefits of the dying. Yet isn’t it the doctors’ job to preserve life and not to take it. As the Hippocratic oath states I Will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment… I will not give poison to anyone who ask for it, nor will I make a suggestion to that effect. Bibliography “Ethical issues in death and dying”, Beauchamp, L. Tom, Perlin, Seymour prentice Hall © 1978 “Euthanasia Contempory issues Companion”, Yount, Lisa Greenhaven Press © 2002 “Physician-Assisted suicide” Leone, A. Daniel Greenhaven Press © 1998 “A time the place for to die physician assistance” M.d. McKhann F. Charles Yale University press© 1999 “Physician assisted suicide and euthanasia Yount Lisa Fact on file Inc, © 2002 UB Center for clinical ethics and Humanities in health care U.S. supreme Court Rules on Physician Assisted suicide Cases http://wings.buffalo.edu/faculty/research/bioethics/court.html Voluntary Euthanasia Stanford University http://Plato.stanford.edu/entries/euthanasia-voluntary/ Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide www.religioustolerance.org/euth1.htm International taskforce on Euthanasia and assisted suicide http://www.internationaltakforce.org/fctfla.htm Other Definations of Euthanasia Competence- a patient who understands his or her medical condition, what the likely future course of the disease is , the risks and benefits associated with the treatment of the condition Dignity- The value that a human being has simply by existing, not because of any property or action of an individual DNR-DO Not Resuscitate- Instructions telling the medical staff not to attempt the resuscitate the patient if the patient has a heart attack Palliative Care- Medical, emotional psychosocial or spiritual care given to a person who is terminally ill and which is aimed at reducing suffering rather than curing.
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