Ethical Theories Of The End Of Life And Assisted Suicide

There are many ethical principles and theories involving the end-of-life issue. The questions and the various views involving in the issues with a competent patients’ refusal of life sustaining treatment and the participation of the health care professional on patient assisted suicide. Among the views to consider are the individual beliefs, cultural, social and religious beliefs of the patient and the professional health care provider.
The controversy of the end-of-life mostly affects the patient with a prolonged period of suffering and pain in addition to patients on vegetative state and incurable disease. The legal system must protect the integrity of the medical profession, avoid suicide and to preserve the life of the patient. The constitutional

right of the patient must be maintained with the end-of-life issues.
Any individual has the right to self-determination in deciding the medical or surgical treatment provided by the health care professionals. The constitutional right of an incompetent and competent patient in withdrawing mechanical support to sustain life or refusal of treatment to an incurable disease must be considered.
The passive or allowing the patient to die transpires when withdrawing the respirator, and assisted devices, allowing the terminally ill patient to die in natural death. Upon the assessment and examination of the patient irreversible vegetative and comatose condition, withdrawing the life support equipment
The role of the physician is to do no harm and to heal the patient. However, the society is not aware of physician participating in physician assisted suicide. The physician-assisted suicide brings up controversy among the patient, society and the medical profession. The active participation of the physician in patient’s choosing to die and refusal of further treatment for the incurable and terminal disease by prescribing fatal doses of medication to patients can be viewed as the right of the patient to die with dignity and peace or a negative image of the physician due the unawareness of the society on the physician participation of the assisted death.