euthanasia
Few issues in medical ethics are as highly debated as death and euthanasia. The topic raises questions including who has the right to take a life and under what circumstances they may do so. Furthermore, it examines under what conditions a person is perceived as being dead or as having no quality of life left. Since the days of the ancient Greek philosophers, medical topics have rarely remained as controversial as euthanasia. From the Hippocratic Oath to the most recent of journal entries, the opinions on this matter are many and conflicting. This essay will examine the literature of this topic when divided into three distinct views: opposed to all types of euthanasia, supportive of passive euthanasia only, and supportive of active euthanasia."I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect." This excerpt from the Hippocratic Oath embodies the beliefs of groups opposed to all forms of euthanasia. Much literature of this school of thought is from religious groups. Paul Carrick, an opponent of all types of euthanasia, wrote Medical Ethics in Antiquity. Carrick believes that since it is God who gives us life, it should be only God that takes it away. "It is God's ri
Negative euthanasia is the removal of essential life support to hasten death. This can be the removal of a respirator, the failure to perform CPR or the withholding of medicine essential for life. Robert H. Williams, author of To Live And To Die: When, Why and How is a vocal advocate of negative euthanasia. "While we make a great effort to consider the wishes of the patient in many situations, when it comes to euthanasia we do little to learn their wishes or accommodate them" (Williams 91). "A vast number of patients, as well as their families and friends, experience far more physical and mental suffering than they should" (91). The main issue with negative euthanasia is the definition of life, and what bodily functions constitute living. Williams argues that life lies within the mental state of the patient, not the physical body and the machines sustaining it. "Many patients lead a vegetative existence for months or years; heart-lung perfusion and other subsidiary functions continue, but the prime function, mentation, has gone" (92). In his book Assisted Suicide - A Decision-Making Guide for Health Professionals, Stephen Jamison notes that the Hippocratic Oath is contradictory. "The Hippocratic Oath stresses the importance of relieving suffering and protecting life" (Jamison 79). Furthermore, he notes that the compassionate friend or relative of a suffering patient may perform active euthanasia and, fearing the consequences, commit suicide, resulting in two deaths rather than only one. Linda Emanuel, author of Regulating How We Die - The Ethical, Medical, and Legal
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1072
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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