Negative Effects Of Euthanasia

1753 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The disadvantages of euthanasia

Euthanasia refers to the process that brings an easy and painless death to individuals suffering from a severe incurable or painful condition, therefore, euthanasia can be either active or passive. Active euthanasia, is when a physician administers a lethal dose that helps the patient die peacefully whereas, Passive euthanasia is withdrawing or withholding medical treatment to a patient to allow the process of death to occur naturally. This implies that do not resuscitate orders is a passive form of euthanasia (McQuoid-Mason, 2013). However, do not resuscitate orders are made when a patient has an advanced directive (living will) of DNR, clinical judgement show that the CPR may be futile and it may not restart the heart of the patient and breathing, CPR having no benefit for the patient and lastly …show more content…

Patients always go for this advance measured when they realize that they have suffered enough and consider euthanasia or DNR as an extreme measure that could help reduce their suffering. This measure may affect decision making in the society because individuals may be making this kind of decisions when they are start thinking hopeless about life, when life should actually be about hope, for instance, patients flood Netherlands so that they may have euthanasia done on them. Therefore, these orders may influence suicides that may be deemed as lawful. Additionally, families remain to be guilty when such decisions are made because of their personal or religious beliefs about life. A patient who is clinically dead and still in a life support machinery may be very wary and costly to a family, it may drain their savings that have been accumulated over an extended period without a change in patient condition being witnessed. In some cases, patient relatives may end up getting depression or a psychotic disorder secondary to the death of their parent or child based on these

Show More
Related

  • The Ethical Dilemma of Assisted Suicide

    2261 Words  | 5 Pages

    When a patient is given PAS as an option it is ultimately their decision. However, Professor Raphael Cohen- Almagor of Hull University, said: “The decision as to which life is no longer ‘worth living’ is not in the hands of the patient but in the hands of the doctor.”(SPUC) Moreover, in Belgium, where euthanasia is legal, in 2013 the deaths of 1.7 people in every 100 people were hastened without the explicit request of the patient. National Right to Live News says, “vulnerable people feel pressured to choose death” and “saying to elderly, vulnerable people: ‘would you like us to help you die now?’ immediately makes them feel that their life has no worth.” In addition, some people feel vulnerable and obligated to continue with PAS. Daniel Callahan, a bioethicist says, “A lot of seriously ill people already feel they’re a burden because they’re costing their families money.”(Humphry) It is often said the decision is the patient’s, but it’s difficult to deny that often times they’re persuaded in some

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia

    1401 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Hippocratic Oath states that “I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel”. Euthanasia is where someone intentionally kills a person whose life is felt not to be worth living. It is definitely a controversial topic with many opinions on whether or not it should be legalized.

    Read More

  • Euthanasia: Ethical Dilemmas and Moral Principles

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nonetheless, the practice of euthanasia could result in subtle pressures from those who are involved in the care of the terminally ill patients, leading to the altruistic choice of accepting it from a feeling of guilt for using scarce resources or being a burden to the family. Moreover, it is difficult to be absolutely accurate about a patient’s prognosis, even impossible to predict death scientifically. Withholding maximum treatment efforts from the terminally ill patients will result in losing the occasional patient who could have been saved, or one who could live substantially longer (Foye, 1972). Doctors have always been associated with saving lives. Administering euthanasia will compromise this role, creating fear and distrust among

    Read More

  • Euthanasia and Frankenstein

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are two types of euthanasia: passive and active. Passive or voluntary euthanasia refers to withholding life saving treatments or medical technology to prolong life. For example, a patient has the right to refuse medical treatment. They also have the right to refuse resuscitation if they are in need to be placed on life support. Active or involuntary euthanasia refers to providing the means for someone to take their life or assisting with taking their life (“Euthanasia” Discovering).

    Read More

  • The Complications Of Euthanasia In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although not as common, patients will reject euthanasia if it is an option. Obvious reasons include ethics and religious beliefs. Patients also decline euthanasia by holding on to one concept: hope. There is always a chance that a medical miracle will occur or that the doctor’s statement was incorrect. Observations

    Read More

  • Why Decisions Should be Made Before Terminal Illness

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is important that patients and family members understand the conditions under which the patient is suffering from. People have an obligation of preparing themselves for end of live. This can be done by writing a will or an Advance Directive to guide the medical personnel and family members on what the patient wants. It can also be done by assigning a medical care proxy to decide on the patients behalf (Groopman and Hartzband, 2011). Medical personnel need to consider the patients wish and act as per the law when deciding on end-life options. Most of the decisions made by terminally ill patients are biased and compromised.

    Read More

  • The Laws are killing the Right to Die

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some laws allow patients to choose whether they want to choose death or choose to stay on life support. In the Right-to-Die prin...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    Euthanasia has been a very polemic subject in American society. Its objective is to conclude the life of a person at their own request, a family member, or by the determination of a health care professional to avoid unnecessary suffering. There is a lot of moral and ethics involved in euthanasia, exist a big difference between provoke death and allow death. The first one rejects life, the second one accepts its natural end. Every single intentional act of provoke the death of a person without consent is opposed to ethics and is punishable by law. One of the biggest moral controversies in the XXI century is the fact that some people agree in the autonomy humans have to determine the moment of death. The moral and legal implications are huge and the practical benefits are also enormous. This is a touchy and controversial issue and my goal on writing this paper is to remain on favor of euthanasia. I will elaborate later on my reasons to believe and support euthanasia, but first let’s examine the historical perspective of this moral issue.

    Read More

  • Patient Assisted Suicide

    1881 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the greatest dangers facing chronic and terminally ill patients is the grey area regarding PAS. In the Netherlands, there are strict criteria for the practice of PAS. Despite such stringencies, the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (1992) found 28% of the PAS cases in the Netherlands did not meet the criteria. The evidence suggests some of the patient’s lives may have ended prematurely or involuntarily. This problem can be addressed via advance directives. These directives would be written by competent individuals explaining their decision to be aided in dying when they are no longer capable of making medical decisions. These interpretations are largely defined by ones morals, understanding of ethics, individual attitudes, religious and cultural values.

    Read More

  • Arguments In Support For Physician Assisted Suicide

    692 Words  | 2 Pages

    Arguments in support for physician-assisted suicide are that it allows people who are terminally ill to be relieved of their pain and suffering. It also allows a terminally ill person to die in dignity. Furthermore, choosing when to die is personal freedom. On the other hand, death is the natural part of human nature and nobody has the right to decide when to die or live not even the doctor. Physician-assisted suicide may lead to abuse by relatives or friends who have ulterior motives other than the wish of the person to get well. Legalization of euthanasia might lead to assaults on individual autonomy, which means it will be abused by people; that is people might be placed in terrible conditions intentionally by their friends, relatives or families and then suggest to the doctor that their lives be terminated since the individual cannot function as a human being. It might end up being a substitute for rational therapeutic, psychological, and social interventions, which could have otherwise enhanced the quality of life for patients who are dying. There is now even evidence that the legalization of assisted suicide in the Northern Territory in Australia has undermined the people's trust in the medical care system (Levine 2012).

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Euthanasia

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    Should euthanasia be allowed or not? It has become a very controversial issue nowadays. Velleman and Hooker have different perspectives on euthanasia, and whether there should be laws permitting voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia. Although there are well-reasoned arguments on both sides, I would strongly agree with Hooker's argument that there should be a law permitting voluntary euthanasia when it is for the wellbeing of the person and that each individual should be able to make their own decision.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Physician Assisted Suicide

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the many concerns is allowing incompetent individuals making this irreversible decision, which is why, “all have agreed that this end-of-life option should apply on to competent individual’s”(113). In addition, people opposed to this method argue that patients demanding this process are suffering from depression and not able to make decisions; yet, Rosenfled explains that practitioners most ensure that patients who consent to this medical intervention do it voluntarily, knowingly and

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Euthanasia

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Euthanasia is defined as a deliberate act undertaken by one person with the intention of ending life of another person to relieve that person's suffering and where the act is the cause of death.”(Gupta, Bhatnagar and Mishra) Some define it as mercy killing. Euthanasia may be voluntary, non voluntary and involuntary. When terminally ill patient consented to end his or her life, it is called voluntary euthanasia. Non voluntary euthanasia occurs when the suffering person never consented nor requested to end a life. These patients are incompetent to decide because they are either minor, in a comatose stage or have mental conditions. Involuntary euthanasia is conducted when it is against the will of the patient (Gupta, Bhatnagar, Mishra). Euthanasia can be either passive or active. Passive euthanasia means life-sustaining treatments are withheld and nothing is done to keep the patient alive. Active euthanasia occurs when a physician do something by giving drugs or substances that ends a patient’s life. (Medical News Today)

    Read More

  • The Case for Euthanasia

    2340 Words  | 5 Pages

    The different types of Euthanasia are active or passive euthanasia and voluntary or involuntary euthanasia. Passive Euthanasia generally refers to the ending of a persons life by removing the person from a life-sustaining machine, such as a respirator. This form of euthanasia is endorsed by the American Medical Association and is less controversial than active euthanasia. Active euthanasia refers to ending a persons life by a competent medical authority giving the person a lethal injection of a muscle relaxant or pain killer medication. The terms voluntary or involuntary refer to whether or not a patient requests euthanasia or whether the patient is not able to make such a request and euthanasia is carried out by a competent medical authority at the request of another family member, or by a competent medical authority’s decision. Involuntary euthanasia usually occurs when a patient is comatose.

    Read More

  • Is Euthanasia Morally Acceptable?

    2344 Words  | 5 Pages

    Before defining and discussing the three major categories of euthanasia, it is important to understand the meaning of their subtypes, known as active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is performing a direct action to take someone’s life, such as administering a lethal drug to a patient. Passive euthanasia allows someone to die by not performing some life-sustaining action or ending life-sustaining treatment (Pojman). Examples of passive euthanasia would be removing a patient’s respirator or withholding nutrients and fluids. Active euthanasia is easily the more controversial of the two.

    Read More

More about Negative Effects Of Euthanasia

Open Document