Ethical Issues of Euthanaisa

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Ethical Issues of Euthanaisa

Since the time that Dr. Jack Kevorkian became a celebrated figure in many circles, the topic of physician assisted suicide has become a lightning rod that sparks heated debates on both sides. Many people argue that physician assisted suicide (PAS) is ethical and should be applied to cases where terminally ill patients can choose to end their lives in this manner because this is respecting their autonomy (their right to choose what is best for their bodies). Other people argue that PAS is ethically and morally unacceptable because it goes against the traditionally defined role of a physician-to heal sick people. They feel that if physicians were allowed to perform PAS, then patients could ultimately lose trust in their doctors (Lorenz, 2003).

Gary Seay (2001) argues that the long held belief that physicians have a duty to only conserve life is unfounded, and in many instances this ideology of conserving life at all costs conflicts with showing a patient compassion in the last days of life. He believes that since modern medicine is now able to alleviate suffering, physician have a duty to this end. In the past, this was secondary because there was not much that the doctor could do for the pain. He concludes his argument by pointing out that physicians have a monopoly on prescription narcotics used in relieving pain, so physicians have a special duty to relieve patients' pain. ?Where no further palliative measures are available to relieve the pain of the dying, where the patient will die soon in any case and desires to make a quick end of it to avoid further suffering, then (providing the patient?s competence is not in question and his condition really is as hopeless as he beli...

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... there is a large, medically-initiated movement to legalize PAS, it seems very likely that the traditional, conservative approach to end of life care will dominate medicine for the years to come.

Works Cited

Beauchamp, T. L. (1999) The medical ethics of physician-assisted suicide. Journal of Medical Ethics 25, 437-439.

Garsten, Ed, and AP. ?Prosecutor: Kevorkian killed to further his own agenda.? CNN.com, March 22, 1999. http://edition.cnn.com/US/9903/22/kevorkian.01/

Lorenz, K. (2003) Moral and practical challenges of physician-assisted suicide. JAMA 289(17), 2282.

Pierce, S.F. (1999) Allowing and assisting patients to die: the perspectives of oncology practitioners. Journal of Advanced Nursing 30(3), 616-622.

Seay, G. (2001) Do physicians have an inviolable duty not to kill? Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 26(1), 75-91.

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