respond to the post and say whether you agree or disagree with the student\'s an
ID: 461959 • Letter: R
Question
respond to the post and say whether you agree or disagree with the student's analysis and why.
1) Define term euthanasia is this different from physician assisted death?
Life is a precious gift that is to be received from the Creator with gratitude. It should be valued, conserved, and enhanced in every way possible. But when the life has been exhausted and every effort made to prevent the inevitable, we should make it legally possible for the compassionate to show clemency to the dying who request intervention to end their suffering. Euthanasia is the act of allow to die a person, or animal from incurable disease. According to Nordqvist (2016):
Euthanasia, also known as assisted suicide, physician-assisted suicide (dying), doctor-assisted dying (suicide), and more loosely termed mercy killing, means to take a deliberate action with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable (persistent, unstoppable) suffering.
For physician assisted death Individuals must have a terminal illness as well as a prognosis of six months or less to live. Physicians cannot be prosecuted for prescribing medications to hasten death. According to Morrison & Furlong (2014) “Assisted suicide refers to when a patient intentionally and willfully ends his or her own life with the assistance of a third party”. (p. 195).
2) After reviewing the safeguard and guidelines for a policy of assisted death, state your personal position on this very controversial issue.
Patient must have a condition that is incurable with severe suffering without hope of relief. Consider a person with an incurable illness such a life has become so tormented with pain or so difficult than desirable, that person has the right to make his or her choice to die and that it must be honored. However; bad consequences would happen, mistakes in safeguards and guidelines would be made.
3) Physician assisted death is now legal in only 5 states, it is becomes legal in the entire USA, what type of challenges might you face as a health care provider?
As heath care provider, I need to rethink received wisdom by subjecting my ethics professional principles and values, to a new experience to real life facing challenges as one of most tough in my professional career such as physician assisted death. As health care provider, I would like to provide an opportunity for the patient in certain cases; I believe in my religious as Christian, I know only God’s will can decide for our life.
4) From the ethical standpoint how can the physician respect the patient’s wishes and still maintain an ethical practice of medical?
The physician basic role and moral integrity defines the professional integrity. According to Morrison & Furlong (2014) “understanding the professional integrity, to include relief of suffering, respect for the patient’s voluntary choice, and aiding patients to achieve a dignified and peaceful death”. (p. 199). In extremely cases, doctors might feel less obligations to give the best care for the patient if physician could decide death as solution to the agonies of life. It is still a controversy issue.
respond to the post and say whether you agree or disagree with the student's analysis and why.
Euthanasia is “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy” (Merriam Webster, n.d.). Physician assisted death is defined as “suicide by a patient facilitated by means (as a drug prescription) or by information (as an indication of a lethal dosage) provided by a physician aware of the patient's intent.” (Merriam Webster, n.d.) When we look at these two definition we see there are similarities (the fact that it involves assisted death to relieve pain and suffering) but also different in that euthanasia may be done without the patients consent (e.g. domestic animal) but the physician assisted death is the choice of the patient.
The Safeguards and Guidelines table in our book mention 7 steps that should be taken to guard against the slippery slope which included the patient must have an incurable condition with severe suffering with no hope of relief, all comfort –oriented measures must have been tried and failed, the patient must be competent and the physician must be in a meaningful physician-patient relationship with the patient, and another physician must agree that the patient request is rational and voluntary, in addition all of this must be clearly documented. The slippery slope “is a serious and valid concern. Once there is a dissolution or weakening of the legal protections against physician-assisted death, society will lose interest in protecting the vulnerable against physicians making inappropriate decisions to hasten death.” (Morrison/Furlong, 2014) I feel this is a true and proven statement; man always start off with the best intentions but then somewhere down the line things go in the wrong direction. Additionally, “the American Medical Association takes this stance: “It is understandable, though tragic, that some patients in extreme duress-such as those suffering from a terminal, painful, debilitating illness-may come to decide that death is preferable to life. However, allowing physicians to participate in assisted suicide would cause more harm than good. Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.” (US Legal, 2016) I feel this is because humans were not made and are therefore not capable of making these life or death decisions. It would be just like giving an infant the control of a large passenger plane – catastrophe! I do not support physician assisted death.
The challenges that I might faces as a health care provider is to be confronted with being involved in this procedure. I feel as long as I have no direct part in the procedure than I am okay with doing my part. I feel there are a lot of procedures in the medical field that I don’t agree with, like abortion, and as long as I am not directly involved and what I do does not bother my concise than I am okay. Just as there are laws that allow them to choose what they want to do, there are laws that allow me that same right. I respect others and their choices and only ask that my choices are respected too.
How can the physician respect the patient’s wishes and still maintain an ethical practice of medicine? I feel that if the ethical principles of Beneficence and Nonmaleficence could still be claimed. The physician has provided a benefit to the suffering competent patient and allowed them to avoid the pain and suffering that their terminal illness would have cause them. The principle of nonmaleficence would be a little harder to claim but they would not have done wrong in that they respected the wishes of a person who wanted to take their life. But as you can see the principal are loosely touch on. “The Hippocratic Oath which has been used by physicians as a code of ethics for more than two thousand years. Attributed to Hippocrates, (ca. 460-370 BCE), the oath provides in part: “I will follow that method of treatment, which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel.” (US Legal, 2016) You can see that if the physician assisted the patient with death it would be going against the principles of that very important oath and thus be un-ethical.
Explanation / Answer
Yes , I do agree with the students analysis regarding Euthanasia.
It is a paractice of ending a life intentionally to get a releif from pain and suffering.In ceertain countries there is a divisive public controversy over the moral, ethical values and legal issues of euthanasia. Those who stood against euthanasia may argue for the sanctity of life, as human dont have right to end life of others while proponents of euthanasia stress to emphasize alleviating suffering,
In extremely cases, doctors might feel less obligations to give the best care for the patient if physician could decide death as solution to the agonies of life. It is still a controversy issue.
Professional ethics wise doctor has nor right for this, but on human ground euthanasia can be allowed .
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