His arguments for euthanasia are effective and compelling, and though directed at physicians, they are of interest to anyone thinking about euthanasia for themselves or a loved one. Rachels discusses the differences between "killing and letting die" (Rachels 561), and discusses specific cases where allowing the patient to simply die without further treatment could actually prolong their life and their suffering
As one study states: "One reason why so many people think that there is an important moral difference between active and passive euthanasia is because they think killing someone is morally worse than letting someone die. But is it? Is killing, in itself, worse than letting die?" (Baird & Rosenbaum, 1989, p
"In the Catholic tradition, spiritual death, in which a human being rejects the offer of God's self-disclosure and cuts him or herself off from the source of supernatural life, is worse than physical death. (Berger & Berger, 1990, p
"It is when a doctor withholds any means in order to prolong the life of a patient." (Ibrahim, D
In short, this means that "A" ends the life of another person, "B" for the sake of "B." (Kuhse, Helga 1992) In order to fully comprehend the implications of the term euthanasia requires the assimilation of two important aspects
For us, life, chayyim, is the great blessing." (Werber, 1996 p
Legalizing "voluntary euthanasia" on the basis of non-representative difficult cases would result in its being routinely practiced on a large scale. One leading medical ethicist said more than twenty years ago "We shall begin by doing it because the patient is in intolerable pain but we shall end up doing it because it is Friday afternoon and we want to get away for the weekend" (Hare, 1971)
They believe that imbuing the legal system with the right to die with dignity actually signifies advancement. (Humphry, 1991) In conclusion, this work has given a brief glimpse of Euthanasia
How literally can, "(Physicians) First, Do No Harm" be taken. (Miles, 2004) In fact, does prolonging pain serve the Oath to its original intent? This essay will discuss these manifestly arguable issues
The values in this case include the well-being of an individual and individual autonomy or self-determination. Self-determination according to Brock has got to do with letting individuals chart their own destiny, that is, allowing individuals to make decisions for themselves (Mappes and DeGrazia 402)
The process of dying is a very personal one and during that process the value of ones life is often questioned as dependency becomes the common denominator, often coupled with intractable pain. (Kamisar 1121) Individuals who are dying often feel, when they are capable of feeling and thinking that their existence and dependence, when death is inevitable is a contracted and extended period of loss for family, who often are left in charge of bathing, feeding and simply watching as they slowly get worse and often painfully exit this earth
The study also found that moral distress increased for nurses that had been in the CCU for over 7 years. A recent study at Rhode Island Hospital Critical Care Nurse Internship found that it is difficult to determine how nurses will react under stressful clinical situations (Badger, 2008)
, 2003). A survey of members of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses providing a "good death" was a major theme (Beckstrand, 2006)
They experienced a spectrum of emotions ranging from conflict to frustration. They felt that these feelings hindered their ability to provide quality care (De Bal, 2006)
This study demonstrates how the actions of nurses are perceived by others and can offer guidance to help develop better standards of practice in the future. Integrating quality of care between critical and palliative care is essential to the improvement of care of the dying patient (Ferrell, 2007)
This type of cross training greatly improves the experienced of the dying (Ferrell, 2007). Having a role model or mentor played a crucial role in the development of professional attitudes among critical care nurses (Hough, 2008)
The concept of caring for the critically ill is viewed from many different approaches. Both nurses and relatives placed a higher importance on nursing behaviors that demonstrated a level of technical competence over emotional responses (O'Connell, 2008)
They felt that these feelings hindered their ability to provide quality care (De Bal, 2006). In a study involving Dutch nurses, the nurse was typically the first person with whom the patient discussed their wishes for euthanasia (Van Bruchem-vande Schuer, 2008)
Much more often than not, the prolongation of human life through methods of medical intervention that were never conceived by Hypocrites provides a profound benefit. Less frequently, some of those same technologies prolong human life even where doing so is neither desired by, nor in the best interests of patients suffering from certain ailments (Humphry, 2002)
Death & Dying - Euthanasia THE ETHICAL ISSUES of PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE Since the inception of medicine, the most fundamental concept guiding physicians in the ethical practice of medicine has been the traditional principle of "do no harm" expressed in the Hippocratic Oath. However, in the modern era of medicine, that ancient maxim is inadequate because contemporary medical science and treatments often make it possible to prolong life beyond the point where a natural death would otherwise occur (Levine, 2008; Tong, 2007)