Ethical Issues In Medical Consent

Consent (in the medical sense) is only morally valid if it is freely given, informed, cooperative, and represents the values of both the patient and the physician. The amount of truth-telling between physicians and patients depends on age, sex, and background of the patient (Boylan 30). This effects what information the patient is told and how it is presented, so that the patient can handle it competently and not prove to be a threat to those around them. It is vital for privacy to be maintained between physicians and patients except when it poses immediate threat to others (Boylan 31). Culture and religion influence patient and doctor perspectives on illness and death (Campbell 57). In the Christian doctrine of faith, it is against divine

law to kill anyone for any reason (Kuhse 204). Eugenics, positivism, social Darwinism, and scientific naturalism effected decisions relating to death and ethics majorly in the second half of the nineteenth century, and those repercussion are stilling being dealt with and thought through today (Dowbiggin 2). A number of studies that have been conducted globally reveal that sociocultural, environmental, and religious beliefs as well as professions, age, and liberty of one’s views on euthanasia change over time. In Hong Kong, support for euthanasia among the general public is higher among those who put less importance on religious belief, those who are non-Christian, those who have higher family incomes, those who have further experience in taking care of terminally ill family members, and those who are older (Ho 253). One survey documented that over half of its participants were for euthanasia, that approximately a quarter of its participants were undecided, and the rest were against euthanasia. These are several aspects of euthanasia that must be considered with patients who are considering euthanasia.