Russel Ogden’s topic in the early 1990s for his MA thesis at Simon Fraser University (SFU) helped to start up his long involvement with controversy. By deciding to conduct research on assisted suicide among people living with HIV/AIDS), Ogden became involved in a contentious moral and political debate. As he continued his research, he soon encountered a second controversial issue – academic freedom. Later, in early 2015, a third area of controversy happened, this one about his status with his employer. Soon after successfully defending his thesis in early 1994, Ogden received a subpoena to appear at a British Columbia Coroner’s Jury that was looking at a suspected case of assisted suicide. Under the Section 241 of the Criminal Code of Canada, anyone (including a doctor) who helps someone to commit suicide is guilty of an indictable offence and can receive a prison term of up to fourteen years (Government of Canada Justice Laws). Authorities believed that Ogden had some knowledge of the matter. When he was asked to …show more content…
A Google search of his name on May 30, 2015, for instance, came up with about 350,000 results. His involvement with assisted suicide and his ongoing stalemate with KPU have attracted the attention of printed and broadcast media (including CNN) in North America and Europe. One aspect that has probably attracted the interest of some media in reporting on Ogden’s research is some of the graphic details that have revealed. Even the respected New York Times once reported: In five cases, victims were unsuccessfully suffocated. In one case, the people who assisted in the suicide resorted to slitting the victim's wrists with a razor blade and in another case to shooting him. Two were injected with pure heroin. Many of the acts of euthanasia took several hours or longer to be completed. In one case it took four days
Euthanasia is divided into two separate classifications consisting of passive euthanasia and active euthanasia. Traditionally, “euthanasia is passive when a physician allows her patient to die, by withholding or withdrawing vital treatment from him…euthanasia is active when a patient's death results from his physician's killing the patient, typically by administering lethal medication” (Varelius, 2016). While active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide share many of the same characteristics, they differ in the role for committing the final act, resulting in the death of the patient. A third party, consisting of either a family member or the physician, is responsible for “pulling-the-plug” in active euthanasia. On the other hand, in physician-assisted suicide, it is ultimately up to the patient to commit the final death-inducing act. Varelius suggests that the separation of passive and active euthanasia can be explained by the involvement that the physician partakes in their patients’ death
Any discussion that pertains to the topic of euthanasia must first include a clear definition of the key terms and issues. With this in mind, it should be noted that euthanasia includes both what has been called physician-assisted "suicide" and voluntary active euthanasia. Physician-assisted suicide involves providing lethal medication(s) available to the patient to be used at a time of the patient’s own choosing (Boudreau, p.2, 2014). Indifferently, voluntary active euthanasia involves the physician taking an active role in carrying out the patient’s request, and usually involves intravenous delivery of a lethal substance. Physician-assisted suicide is felt to be easier psychologically for the physician and patient than euthanasia because
According to Gamliel (2012), euthanasia refers to actions or omissions that result in the death of a person who is already gravely ill. Techniques of active euthanasia range fro...
The history of Canada was flooded with many influential and incredible events, particularly during World War 1 and World War 2. During the 20th century, Canada got more involved in worldwide events. It was a very important period for Canada; it was where they gained their independence and progressed as a country. After this century, Canada was considered an important and powerful country. The three main 20th century events in Canadian history are the battle of Vimy Ridge, the change of woman’s rights and the battle of Juno Beach.
This character brings some of the issues to light. Works Cited The “Euthanasia.” Discovering Collection. Web. The Web.
Euthanasia is voluntary, when an alert, aware, competent patient agrees to it being performed, and euthanasia is involuntary when it is performed on a patient without the patient's clear understanding and agreement. Euthanasia may be an obvious, clear-cut act acknowledged as such by both the medical staff and patient or may be an action or series of actions that are put forward as being "standard" medical treatment. An example of a clear act is when a patient is given a lethal intravenous dose of potassium or insulin or an oral fatal dose of sedatives. However, a patient may be given gradually escalating doses of morphine or other narcotics for sedation or analgesia, in the knowledge that the morphine will hasten death.
According to West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, between 1990 and 1999, a well-known advocate for physician assisted suicide, Jack Kevorkian helped 130 patients end their lives. He began the debate on assisted suicide by assisting a man with committing suicide on national television. According to Dr. Kevorkian, “The voluntary self-elimination of individual and mortally diseased or crippled lives taken collectively can only enhance the preservation of public health and welfare” (Kevorkian). In other words, Kevor...
"Assisted Suicide: Finding Common Ground." Lois Snyder, JD; and Authur L. Caplan, PhD. Annals of Internal Medicine. March 21, 2000. v.132, n.6
In this article Quill states “Between 10% and 50% of patients in programs devoted to palliative care still report significant pain 1 week before death.” In this article Quill talks about how terminal sedation is for the patient from his standpoint. He talks about how patients who pick thermal sedation die from starvation, dehydration, or some other complication. He also states that “The suffering patient is sedated to unconsciousness, usually through ongoing administration of barbiturates or benzodiazepines.” Quill speaks about how opposers of physician suicide often say that it is against many moral beliefs. Voluntary Active Euthanasia is much like physician assisted suicide, but differs where the physician does all the steps, including the final step. Quill says, “For patients who are prepared to die because their suffering is intolerable , VAE has the advantage of being quick and
“In 1999, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a Michigan physician known for openly advertising that he would perform assisted suicide despite the fact that it was illegal, was convicted of second-degree murder” (Lee). The fact of the matter is human being...
Cotton, Paul. "Medicine's Position Is Both Pivotal And Precarious In Assisted Suicide Debate." The Journal of the American Association 1 Feb. 1995: 363-64.
... Association. 1998. “Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide.” Canadian Medical Association Board of Directors. Retrieved from http://www.cma.ca/index.php/ci_id/3214/la_id/1.htm on October 16th, 2010.
Urofsky, Melvin I. Lethal Judgments: Assisted Suicide and American Law. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2000. Print.
There are many different types of euthanasia animal shelters use to put down animals. The most popular type of euthanasia called intravenous injection, which is a poison containing sodium pentobarbital. This poison is injected in the heart or leg without any pain killers. The animal is put to sleep and in some cases they wake up when they feel the pain and start to struggle and fight the vet. More than one injection may be needed based on the weight of the animal. This process is also used for animals that are euthanized due to disease or injures. Another process is called the gas chamber. The animal is put into these gas chambers and “will usually scream and cry until they fall asleep” (Chrysta). Carbon dioxide is sent out and the animal will die in about twenty minutes. Many animal shelters believe this is an inhumane way of killing the animals and are against it. But there are still animal shelters in the United States that still use this method. Displacement of the neck or known as cervical dislocation is another f...
Smith, M. (2002, October 24). THE RODRIGUEZ CASE: A REVIEW OF THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA DECISION ON ASSISTED SUICIDE.Government of Canada . Retrieved December 26, 2010, from dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection-R/LoPBdP/BP/bp349-e.htm#B. Section 12(txt)