We Deserve the Right to Choose Wether to Live Or Die!
We deserve the right to choose wether to live or die!
Jose Rosales
Isha Humagain
Kolas Sunay
Tong Jin
EuthanasiaThe 4 Peoples
There has been a major conflict between the right to end ones suffering and the legal ramifications that the government has imposed within the practice. Throughout human history there has been allot of suffering and many questions have been raised in regards to what action should be taken? The definition of euthanasia is: “The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or is in an incurable coma (in where theres no chance of coming out of it).” Consider the words “suffering,” “painful,” “irreversible” and “incurable.” Euthanasia is known as “mercy killing” for a reason, it is the most, humane, moral and logical form of treatmen
t available to patients that have no hope in fully recovering from certain incurable diseases. With euthanasia, patients have this latter choice, offering them the ability to end their pain and suffering in a dignified way. This also poses a dilemma for the health providers because they face a conflict of having to choose to save a life or being able to let the patients decide if it is a life worth living. Most people believe that human life is a gift from God and is sacred because it bears God's image. Human life has worth because Christ died to redeem it, and it has meaning because God has an eternal purpose for it. Some people and some groups oppose active intervention with the intent to produce death for the relief of pain, suffering, or economic considerations, or for the convenience of patient, family, or society.
On the other hand proponents of physician-assisted suicide argue from the perspective of compassion and radical individual autonomy. There are persuasive counter arguments based on the traditional norms of the medical professions and the adverse consequences of such a public policy. Even more important than these secular arguments is the biblical view that the sovereignty of God places a limit on human autonomy.
So in order to affirm the dignity of human life, they advocate for the development and use of alternatives to relieve pain and suffering. Assisted suicide involves our rights about living and death; it involves the dignity of life. Generally speaking, assisted suicide should be legalized. It is a mercy killing, which can sometimes be rational behavior, thus our society should encourage its occurrence, speaking from a position from a person using logic instead of leading with emotion.
Women
Women have faced a huge discrimination in the states that have allowed assisted suicide to take place. The reason for woman's discrimination in this practice is that they are to emotion and are not capable of making a rational and logical decision regarding their own life. Gender roles are what motivated this type of thinking for people who are against euthanasia for women. In one of the early cases of euthanasia involved a doctor named Timothy Quill, in one case involving Diane, a patient who was dying of cancer and who requested his assistance in securing a painless death. He entitied this case "Death and Dignity: A Case of Individual- ized Decision-Making.” (Parks 30-36). In the case study he is able to illustrate what conflicts he faces in relation to his treating his female patient who has cancer. The conflict between keeping his HippocraticOath and doing what would be best in the patients interest. Diane had a long and painful end. She told the doctor when she was passing that she was scared to die but living with the pain would be much worse. The doctor was unable to end her suffering all he was allowed todo was to manage her pain and keep her as comfortable as possible. Which was a task in and of its own she basically had to be completely sedated for her to feel no pain, which made her to week to eat or even have conversations with her husband. This experience gave Doctor Quill a different outlook on how he might join the campaign for patient rights over their body, when it comes to a terminally ill disease.
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Euthanasia The 4 Peoples
Pain and Suffering
Some patient requests to hasten death is not just because the pain can not be reduced, but also because of the physiological symptoms including loss of life caused by meaning, dignity and autonomy. When a receiving palliative care of patients with incurable alleviate their suffering cannot get the request for physician-assisted hasten death (the patient has capacity). How should the doctor respond at that point? Generally, if a patient has received medical life support equipment then the doctor should make the decision based on the patient’s wishes and the removal of the patient’s life support equipment, such as some patients may voluntarily refused food and water supply. But if the patient’s pain or symptom is unable to get improvement and would like to accept the sedation, then the doctor’s last resort should patient sedation.
Terminal sedation refers to the suffering of patients due to sedatives or no feeling into the unconscious state. They usually use medicines to let the patient die in the coma. Because patients in the late stages into a deep state of unconsciousness and without feeling, so people believe it can be released from the patient’s pain. It is not attempted, although the patient receiving the terminal sedation is predictable. The prescription does not send the patient’s cause of the death. This sedation is to relieve the patient’s pain, which is the goal of medical undoubtedly, secondly it can also be regarded as a refusal of medical subsistence way. Therefore, it is both legally and morally tenable position; even the Supreme Court has also made it strong support. Today, the terminal sedation has been palliative care and hospice widely used to relieve pain cannot be on the case, according to the reports there are 0% to 44% of cases used. “The ultimate sedation relieves the patient’s pain, because the patient is in the final stage of deep coma, and they may not feel the pain.” (Beauchamp 329)
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EuthanasiaThe 4 Peoples
Suicide and Euthanasia
Suicide as a rational option for an individual who feels that life has become too burdensome; the act of suicide is still often viewed by others as a tragic and lonely experience.
This is especially true when the means of self-destruction involves violence (e.g. guns and other self-inflicted wounds, hanging, jumping from heights, etc.). Thus there has been a move to depersonalize suicide by involving others (assisted suicide) and to sanitize it by making it a medical procedure. Proponents of legalization of euthanasia offer several reasons why society should allow physicians to be involved in these acts: some people have no loved one who can help them; some people are unwilling or unable to help their loved ones commit suicide; physicians know the prognosis so are better able to assess the appropriateness of a request; physicians have access to and know how to use lethal drugs.
Euthanasia The 4 Peoples
Religious
As for those patients requesting euthanasia they are more likely to express their despair. In that case, their relatives and doctors should listen carefully to make clear what they desire on earth. Because even though euthanasia is granted, being rid of chronic pain does not equal free from mental burden. Apart from to help remove pain, most proponents of assisted suicide always claim it a respect for human dignity. But a person who loses control over his body still has dignity; it may not be a matter of so-called dignity. As Pope John Paul Ⅱ said, "a man even if seriously sick or prevented in the exercise of its higher functions, is and will be always a man ……(he) will never become a ‘vegetable’ or an ‘animal’…… The intrinsic value and personal dignity of every human being does not change depending on their circumstances” (Paul). Besides, real dignity comes from struggle against fear, rather than submission or escape. The more someone tends to suicide, the further he is breaking away from the community. So our society should not encourage interpersonal alienation, and it is the same with assisted suicide. What is fundamentally wrong with euthanasia from a biblical perspective is that it involves the killing of human beings who are necessarily made in the image of God. Physician-assisted suicide is wrong for similar reasons, in that people kill human beings (themselves) with the assistance of others who thereby become accessories to killing. But I think there should be compassionate and to relieve suffering, without any expense. If happiness were what life is all about, then suffering would be the ultimate evil to be avoided at all costs. The cross would represent the epitome of what is to be avoided. Yet, those who are religious are not called to avoid such suffering but to suffer this falseness with him, to take up crosses of their own.
The basic question, then, is whether God or suffering is going to set the agenda of one’s life---and death. Physicians and their patients will not find God s way by trying to avoid all suffering at any cost. They will find it by remaining true to God s biblically-revealed character and will, especially in the midst of suffering. The ultimate test of what is setting the agenda of our lives may well be how we deal with suffering in the face of death. (Wilton)
Complications in Assisted Suicide
Once assisted suicide is legalized, patients who should have received protection from family and society, have to bear more stress from domestic budget, chronic pain, depression caused by no effective medication. Sometimes they may think it is their duty to request euthanasia, which is unfavorable to their positive emotion. Furthermore, the shortcoming and limitation during physician-assisted suicide performance should be noted.
A study approved by the Dutch Ministry of Health, the Dutch Ministry of Justice, and the Royal Dutch Medical Association reviewed the efficacy in 111 cases of physician-aided dying. This showed that 32% of cases had complications. These included 12% time to death longer than expected (45min – 14 days), 9% with problems administering the required drugs, 9% with a physical symptom (e.g. nausea, vomiting, myoclonus) and 2% waking from coma. In 18% of cases the doctors had to go on and provide euthanasia because of problems or failures with PAD (Assisted Suicide). The immature operation did not facilitate dying at all, let alone it may ruin a hope for possible cure after its irreversible process. After all, everyone cannot predict a miracle in store. What is worse, trouble is more than one. Assisted suicide could be a first step to kill the old and the infirm. When the patients determine to receive euthanasia, he may have gradually been forced by family members, and then it could be abused by greedy persons seeking an inheritance. So anyway, everything
is unknown.
Euthanasia In Other Countries
In some other countries euthanasia has been legalized but in most it still has been a hot issue debate. For those who are against it think that it will lead to other life ending measures such abortions for babies with disabilities.
This also rises question what might be significant reasons for ending one’s own life. Euthanasia in the Netherlands has been legal and has been practiced for many years in some cases even without the patients consent. There was a conference held in Maastricht to educate countries like England, Canada, and the United States about the "Dutch model" of legally tolerated active euthanasia. In Alexander Capron’s article, concerning euthanasia in the Netherlands, he came to the conclusion that the Dutch themselves hold varying views about the contours of their model, its successes and its weaknesses, and whether it would be desirable for other countries to follow their lead. He had less the sense than he appears to have that the failure of people to change each other’s minds resulted from the discussions' being too emotional and not sufficiently rational(Capron 30). Taiwan’s current law strictly prohibits the physician-assisted suicide. This prohibition includes all situations. If even that is incurable, and neither subject to severe pain in patients nor the right to medically assisted suicide. In Taiwan, the criminal law has expressly provided for abetting suicide, “the article 275 of Taiwan criminal law processing suicide sin that abets or help others make suicide, or be subject exhortations or keeping a promise to kill someone one year and less than seven years”(Ministry of Justice). In such a statute of limitations, even if the doctor based on sympathy or the patient can not bear to see the suffering of assisted suicide, the doctor still broke the law and must be punished by law. However opposed to physician assisted suicide ethical justifications? Whether because the law prohibits it, which means it is an immoral act.
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Euthanasia The 4 Peoples
Prolonged life
Death is an immediate problem, but also most of the world has long been religious, philosophical issues discussed endlessly. As medical technology developed, so all humans can live a relatively modern longevity, but because modern people often more difficult than the previous one before died peacefully. In the past, people got the infectious disease or incurable disease died at home. Now, most of the people have to go through the series of painful treatment or after a long vegetative state, and then died in the hospital. The current medical treatment is not completely cure or improvement in disease, most of them only function make life sustaining alive. The best-known device is simple artificial respirators and other equipment. But this does not mean that can survive while improving the quality of life. Therefore, the extension of the death may prolong the pain and embarrassment of torture death. The patient’s pain and suffering may be expanded to others, such as family members and associated persons. In the final days of life, many patients must undergo a series of painful diseases or cancer treatments are concerned, some people will want to move off to seek the help of others this predicament. So euthanasia and physician assisted suicide should be considered.
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Euthanasia The 4 Peoples
Doctors
Most people who have an incurable diseases and are dying don't come to that decision easy. The people that the patient most depend on most are the doctors and nurse. They are the ones who plan and implement the right care for patients, but when there is a diseases that is incurable and the only thing that comes from it is suffering doctors face many moral and ethical dilemmas. In the underworld of assisted suicide and euthanasia, Russel Ogden examines the means and methods--even as he is shunned by academia and chased by the law.
In 1990 David Lewis, a Vancouver man living with HIV, went to a local newspaper and announced that he had assisted eight friends, all suffering from AIDS, in committing suicide--an act of murder in the eyes of Canadian law. For many people, the news simply affirmed what they had long suspected was happening in the AIDS community. But to Russel Ogden, a criminology graduate student at Simon Eraser University looking for a research project, it was an opportunity to go where no scientist had ventured before. Another invisible trouble relates to its negative and indirect influence on health specialists and society. Assuming that assisted suicide is legal, the physicians and nurses may not spare any effort to care for dying patients, and the government may cut financial support and service. This assumption seems crazy; however, it does not make no sense. At least, a faith in victory will help mobilize all positive factors and boost effort to the fullest. As is commonly recognized, doctor's duty is life-saving, and government should shoot for all residents' happiness. Thus, instead of being too negative and cruel, the government should supply patients with painkillers and aid stations with supervision.(kaplan 49)
Finally, the government needs to understand the process of dying from the point of view of patients and their families. In the name of personal dignity and a relief from pain, to end someone's life cannot solve fundamental problem, and even bring various troubles. The society should not encourage continuous suffering of precious life, as most countries hold cautious attitude on assisted suicide. Moreover, the medical technique is advancing with a high pace. There can be methods to determine if the patient having any benefits form existing the way they are because they are not living they are existing. So assisted suicide should be legalized and used as the last resort for family members who are suffering. Death and dying issues are influenced by one’s world view. I think in the face of death and dying issues, we must hold together what humanity tends to pull apart: death as friend and foe, suffering as challenge to persevere and opportunity to overcome, and the dual affirmation of divine providence and human stewardship. These theological assertions do not solve every dilemma a physician or family of a dying patient faces.(Beauchamp 329)