|
|||||||
|
|
Physician assisted suicide has been controversial throughout the span of time. One of the most important public policy debates today surrounds the issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide. They have supporters among people against the long-suffering of the terminally ill and has found understanding and empathy among people experiencing unbearable pain, discomfort, and loss of quality of life. With so much at stake, more is needed than a duel of one-liners, slogans and sound bites.
Euthanasia DefinitionsEuthanasia: the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit. (The key word here is "intentional". If death is not intended, it is not an act of euthanasia) Voluntary euthanasia: When the person who is killed has requested to be killed. Non-voluntary: When the person who is killed made no request and gave no consent. Involuntary euthanasia: When the person who is killed made an expressed wish to the contrary. Assisted suicide: Someone provides an individual with the information, guidance, and means to take his or her own life with the intention that they will be used for this purpose. When it is a doctor who helps another person to kill themselves it is called "physician assisted suicide." Euthanasia By Action: Intentionally causing a person's death by performing an action such as by giving a lethal injection. Euthanasia By Omission: Intentionally causing death by not providing necessary and ordinary (usual and customary) care or food and water. What Euthanasia is NOT: There is no euthanasia unless the death is intentionally caused by what was done or not done. Thus, some medical actions that are often labeled "passive euthanasia" are no form of euthanasia, since the intention to take life is lacking. These acts include not commencing treatment that would not provide a benefit to the patient, withdrawing treatment that has been shown to be ineffective, too burdensome or is unwanted, and the giving of high doses of pain-killers that may endanger life, when they have been shown to be necessary. All those are part of good medical practice, endorsed by law, when they are properly carried out.
What is the difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide?One way to distinguish them is to look at the last act – the act without which death would not occur. Using this distinction, if a third party performs the last act that intentionally causes a patient’s death, euthanasia has occurred. For example, giving a patient a lethal injection or putting a plastic bag over her head to suffocate her would be considered euthanasia. On the other hand, if the person who dies performs the last act, assisted suicide has taken place. Thus it would be assisted suicide if a person swallows an overdose of drugs that has been provided by a doctor for the purpose of causing death. It would also be assisted suicide if a patient pushes a switch to trigger a fatal injection after the doctor has inserted an intravenous needle into the patient’s vein.
Doesn’t modern technology keep people alive who would have died in the past?Modern medicine has definitely lengthened life spans. A century ago, high blood pressure, pneumonia, appendicitis, and diabetes likely meant death, often accompanied by excruciating pain. Women had shorter life expectancies than men since many died in childbirth. Antibiotics, immunizations, modern surgery and many of today’s routine therapies or medications were unknown then.
Should people be forced to stay alive?No. A lot of people think that euthanasia or assisted suicide is needed so patients won’t be forced to remain alive by being "hooked up" to machines. But the law already permits patients or their surrogates to withhold or withdraw unwanted medical treatment even if that increases the likelihood that the patient will die. Thus, no one needs to be hooked up to machines against their will. Neither the law nor medical ethics requires that "everything be done" to keep a person alive. Insistence, against the patient’s wishes, that death be postponed by every means available is contrary to law and practice. It is also cruel and inhumane. There comes a time when continued attempts to cure are not compassionate, wise, or medically sound. That’s when hospice, including in-home hospice care, can be of great help. That is the time when all efforts should be directed to making the patient’s remaining time comfortable. Then, all interventions should be directed to alleviating pain and other symptoms as well as to the provision of emotional and spiritual support for both the patient and the patient’s loved ones.
But shouldn’t people have the right to commit suicide?People do have the power to commit suicide. Worldwide, about a million people commit suicide annually. Suicide and attempted suicide are not criminalized. Each and every year, in the United States alone, there are 1.5 times as many suicides as there are homicides. And suicide is one of the ten most common causes of death in Great Britain. Suicide is an all too common tragic, individual act. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are not private acts. Rather, they involve one person facilitating the death of another. This is a matter of very public concern since it can lead to tremendous abuse, exploitation and erosion of care for the most vulnerable people among us. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are not about giving rights to the person who dies but, instead, they are about changing public policy so that doctors or others can directly and intentionally end or participate in ending another person’s life. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are not about the right to die. They are about the right to kill.
Major support for mercy killingMost people in the UK think it should be acceptable to help a person suffering from a painful incurable illness to commit suicide, a study shows. More than 80% of people thought it was acceptable for a doctor to assist a patient to die (physician assisted suicide, or PAS) and 54% felt a family member should be allowed to do so (family assisted suicide). This compares with 75% in favour of PAS in the US and 73% in Australia, according to the report published in the Journal of Medical Ethics. Britain has the most repressive assisted dying laws in Europe, and the government has failed to address the many problems this creates.
Beyond All Hope?The most vital consideration for chronic pain sufferers is how best to manage their pain. The limitation, imposition, and interference that severe pain places on daily living is what the chronic pain sufferer must confront and conquer. The sufferer requires support from an array of sources. Pain management, psychological support, family support, and economical support all are necessary. Presumably there is failure at each level of needed support for a person to feel that their situation is hopeless. Patients look to their physicians for help with controlling pain. The undertreatment of chronic pain has become a genuine concern. Physicians have been accused of withholding narcotics for pain treatment for reasons such as fear of patient addiction and fear of lawsuits. A solution must be found among all the treatment options so that a patient never is left to feel hopeless from uncontrolled pain. If a patient is unsatisfied with his physician's treatment plan he should continue his journey from doctor to doctor in search of relief. The are Pain Management Centers throughout the country that exist with the purpose of helping people manage and cope with chronic pain. The search for relief may be down a long, winding road but what could justify the end of the search and the deliberate end of a life? Psychological support and emotional support is as essential as controlling the physical pain. The strength needed to cope with chronic pain can wane if it is not fortified with the support from fellow sufferers, family, and caregivers. Depression is often associated with chronic disease. The patient must be able to reach out and communicate and receive the needed support to overcome the feelings of hopelessness. Ignorance abounds among the general population as well as some physicians about the critical need for appropriate pain management. There are groups whose purpose is to educate all people about pain management. Education can lead to help and available options, resurrecting the will to live as opposed to the personal choice of suicide.
Coping SkillsIt has been recognized that people with similar illnesses cope in different ways. Some patients seem to have an innate strength which allows them to better cope. Other people seem overwhelmingly devastated by circumstances. It appears that beyond the physical pain is the pain that burns within some people and disallows their coping skills. It is as important to nurture the coping mechanism as it is to treat the physical pain. There are far reaching consequences when a patient opts for suicide. Their choice impacts their family, and also impacts the morale and spirit of patients suffering with same or similar illnesses. A message is sent that there is no purpose to continuing a similar life. The patient suffering with the similar illness is left with a feeling that goes against everything they have strived to achieve. There is also a concern about abuse if physician assisted suicide were to be legalized. Where will the line be drawn? Will it become acceptable for people who have lost their will to live for other reasons to opt for suicide? Should we not be concentrating on finding solutions to making life more bearable as opposed to making it easier for people to end their lives?
What the World Needs Now Is DDT
|
