Euthanasia
Ethics of Euthanasia in Terminally Ill Patients
Jennifer Kennedy
School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
AMAO: Medical Office Ethics & Law
Professor Rebecca Farmer
June 5, 2023
Euthanasia
Introduction
Under what conditions, if any, could willful extermination towards another human being
be ethically correct? Do people have the right to die when suffering with an incurable disease, or
have machines keep them alive? Is it possible for doctors to allow terminally ill patients to "die
with dignity" or are they obligated to use every medical procedure at their disposal? Can one still
be Christian and believe in Euthanasia? Because dying has become a problem, the terminally ill
patient must have a living will on file detailing his or her choices for the end of their life in order
to answer these questions without running into any legal issues. Anyone can say no, never would
I pull the plug on someone I love, but shouldn’t that be your loved one’s decision? Psalm 139
says: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise
you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very
well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in
the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every
one of them. (Psalm 139:13-16)
History on Euthanasia
The Greek words "eu," which means "good," and "thanatos," which means "death," are
the source of the phrase "euthanasia." As a result, the word's etymological meaning is "good
death." (Picón-Jaimes and others, 2022) However, in its most common sense, euthanasia is the
act of ending a person's life to relieve their suffering, due to an incurable or terminal condition.
Euthanasia was also given the name "mercy killing" because of this. However, euthanasia means
different things to different people (Nilstun et al., 2012) It is frequently subcategorized into
dynamic versus detached (which alludes to the arrangement or not of explicit clinical medicines)
and willful versus non-deliberate versus impulsive (which alludes to how much the desires of the
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passing on are known and determinative) (Ardelt, 2003). According to Materstvedt et al., despite
the widely accepted definition, "a doctor intentionally killing a person by the administration of
drugs, at that person's voluntary and competent request, “euthanasia” (Nilstun et al., 2012) or
voluntary euthanasia, a lack of definition has been cited as making it difficult to accurately assess
the practice of and support for euthanasia. (Nilstun et al., 2012) Moreover, 'killing' at times
incorporates the arrangement of relief from discomfiture to the place of terminal sedation, also
called the guideline of twofold impact (Plume, Lo, and Brock, 1997). Some treat these works on
(barring compulsive willful extermination, considered manslaughter) as for all intents and
purposes and ethically same (e.g., Magnusson, 2002, Plume et al., 1997), while others do not.
(Elliott & Olver, 2008)
States that approve of Euthanasia
74% of Americans support euthanasia, but only 40 of the 50 states have legalized
physician assisted suicide (writing a prescription for a lethal dose of a drug for a competent adult
terminally ill patient to self-administer): Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, Hawaii,
Montana, the District of Columbia, Main, New Jersey. To safeguard the patient, the following
measures are in place:
•To be eligible, a patient must be an adult, a resident of the state, mentally competent,
able to self-administer and ingest the medications, and have a terminal diagnosis with a
prognosis of less than six months to live. No exceptions are made.
• The medication request(s) can only be made by the patient. An advance directive, living
will, or other end-of-life care document cannot be included in the request.
• cannot serve as one of the witnesses.
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•At least two witnesses must sign the written request in front of the patient, certifying that
the patient is capable, acting voluntarily, and not being coerced into signing it. An owner,
operator, or employee of a health care facility where the eligible patient is receiving medical
treatment or is a resident, as well as the patient's attending physician, are all eligible. (Lawatsch,
2021)
At any time, the patient may revoke the request.
Two doctors, one of whom is the patient's attending physician and is familiar with the
patient's case, must confirm the diagnosis. Every doctor should be ensured to endorse
prescriptions and hold a state permit to rehearse medication.
The patient should be alluded to for a psychological wellness evaluation if either supplier
thinks that the patient might be experiencing a mental problem that debilitates judgment.
Medication cannot be prescribed until such an assessment demonstrates the patient's
mental capability.
Depending on their state of residence, the patient may have to wait while the prescription
is written or dispensed.
If there is any suspicion or evidence of coercion, the request process must be stopped
right away.
For each request, the physicians must adhere to stringent reporting requirements.
Other state statutes would apply to any illegal or ethically questionable activity carried
out outside of the law.
Patients, their loved ones, and even the hospital or clinic that spends time and energy
caring for the terminally ill could all benefit from this idea. Willful extermination allies likewise
accept it would try and set aside cash in the great plan of medical care cost in the US. The
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researchers estimated that these people would lose an average of four weeks of life by choosing
suicide. Since the doctor's visit expenses for the last month of life for the people who die
normally. (Benzel, 1999)
Karen Ann Quinlan
Karen Ann Quinlan There are many cases that have zeroed in public worries on his, her,
their, etc. willful extermination. The most prominent of all cases, Karen Ann Quinlan was 21
years old when a blend of liquor and medications caused mental harm, leaving her in a persistent
vegetive state. (Paris, 2017) A respirator, artificial nutrition, and hydration were used to maintain
her biologic functions. When the treating physicians informed Karen’s parents that they did not
anticipate her ever regaining consciousness. Once her father got that news, he decided it would
be in his daughter’s best interest, and applied to the court to be appointed as her legal guardian
who can take off the respirator. (Paris, 2017) The father's appeal was blocked on the grounds that
the use of the respirator would be considered murder and that the court should not interfere with
the competent judgment of her doctor about whether to continue with life support. The dad's
request was supported consistently by the New Jersey High Court. Her father's petition was
approved unanimously by the New Jersey Supreme Court. (Cantor, 2001) The court argued that
Karen, if she were competent, would have the right under the constitution to reject life-sustaining
medical treatment. Her qualification moved from the fourteenth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution and its insurance of freedom. Given Karen's lack of ability, her devoted father ought
to be allowed to exercise this liberty right on her behalf; If this fact were not the case, her
constitutional interests would not be protected when deciding whether to accept life-sustaining
medical interventions. (Paris, 2017) There were no allegations of committing murder or
improperly interfering with the court's medical decision. According to the court, a patient's
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constitutional right to decline life-sustaining medical treatment cannot be considered homicide.
Because medical ethics recognized that patients had the right to choose their own treatment (and
to have a substitute choose for them if they were unable to do so) there was no improper
interference with medical judgment. (Paris, 2017)
Nancy Beth Cruzan
Nancy Beth Cruzan Nancy Beth Cruzan was 25 years of age in 1983 when a car crash left
her in a comparable condition. The families testified in court that their loved ones would have
found it unacceptable to live in a persistent vegetative state. The court decided in separate
landmark cases that the families could remove the feeding tube. A direct response to the Cruzan
case was the Patient Self-Determination Act (1990), an amendment to Title 18 of the Social
Security Act. (Dobbins, 2007) The concern that an individual's right to autonomy and self-
determination at the end of their life ought to be respected according to the Patient Self
Determination Act. This significant piece of legislation went into effect on December 1, 1991,
and it requires, if they have not already, that all patients admitted to healthcare facilities that
receive Medicare payments be invited to complete advance directives. (Dobbins, 2007) Living
wills and durable powers of attorney for health care (DPOA-HC) are two common types of
advance directives. If a person is unable to speak for themselves, the purpose of these written
documents is to safeguard them from having their life extended in an inappropriate manner.
Living wills permit people to express their desires about tolerating or declining explicit life-
supporting clinical medicines under unambiguous conditions, like a terminal sickness, or
vegetative state. If the person who wrote the advance directive is unable to make such decisions,
a DPOA-HC designates a third party (a proxy) to make decisions about medical treatment.
(Dobbins, 2007) The Patient Self-Determination Act has given every single person in the United
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States the power to write advance directives so that their families and health care providers can
know what they want for their end of life. Paris, (Tilden, 2000). The Commonwealth of Virginia
promoted Advance Directives Day 2006, in hopes to “raise public awareness of the need to plan
ahead for health care decisions related to the end-of-life care”. (Dobbins, 2007)
Dr. Jack Kevorkian
Dr. Jack Kevorkian People all over the country were shocked by the story of Dr. Jack
Kevorkian and his assisted mercy killings. Dr. Jack Kevorkian is one of the most well-known
public figures of previous decades. Kevorkian, also known as Dr. Death, made headlines when
he tried to legalize assisted suicide, and his name is still used to talk about people and policies
that are related to the issue. ten Have, 2007) According to his supporters, Kevorkian was a
compassionate hero who bravely fought for the rights of the ill to carry out their wishes for
death. Even so, legally speaking, Kevorkian was a killer. He burned through $45 to construct a
"self-destruction machine" that conveyed progressive intravenous portions of a saline
arrangement, a pain reliever, and lastly potassium chloride. The Michigan legislature legislated
making assisted suicide a felony following several additional cases involving Kevorkian. In
1999, he was found guilty of giving a sick man who had asked Kevorkian to help him die the
lethal injection. Kevorkian was told by the judge who gave him the prison sentence, " You have
defied your own industry, the medical industry. Kevorkian was viewed as a sinner by the
Catholic church. Hours after he died, the Archdiocese of Detroit gave an assertion saying, "May
God show kindness toward his spirit and on the scores of confounded, clashed, and, on occasion,
clinically discouraged casualties he killed." (2011, Stafford)
Terry Schiavo
Euthanasia
Terri Schiavo The tragic tale of Terri Schiavo serves as a useful case study. Medicine,
law, and ethics can all be learned from her situation's conflicts and misunderstandings. The
finding of a determined vegetative express, the legal techniques included, and the propriety of
the moral system used by those depended on Terri Schiavo's consideration-main a source of
widespread confusion despite media saturation and intense public interest. Perry and others,
2005) Terri’s Schiavo, 26, collapsed in the hallway of her apartment on February 25, 1990,
suffering from severe hypoxia for several minutes. She had not signed a durable power of
attorney, or a living will. Mrs. Schiavo was deemed incompetent four months after her injury,
and her husband, Michael Schiavo, was appointed her legal guardian without her parents'
objections. Mrs. Schiavo received a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube because
she was unable to swallow. By late 1990, Mrs. was still up in the air to be in a tenacious
vegetative state. (Perry and others, 2005)
At the beginning of the 1990s, Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers cooperated to
coordinate intensive rehabilitation efforts for Mrs. Schiavo, which included aggressive and
regular physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Her condition did not improve despite their
best efforts and research into all potential treatments. Terri Schiavo's taking care of a cylinder
was separated exclusively for her to die gradually of dehydration on Feb 25, 1990 (Perry and
others, 2005) Mrs. Schiavo's cerebrum was viewed as "horribly unusual and weighed just 615
grams" — not exactly a portion of the normal load for a grown-up her age — and to have a
neuronal misfortune in her occipital curves, which was predictable with cortical visual
deficiency. An autopsy confirmed this. Additionally, Purkinje cells in the cerebellum and a
significant loss of neurons in the basal ganglia and hippocampus were observed. Briefly, the
autopsy's findings were completely in line with the expectation of widespread hypoxic-ischemic
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brain damage. Also, the absence of an MRI scan was explained by an implanted thalamic
stimulator. Perry et al., 2005)
Mentally Ill & Euthanasia
Mental Health & Physician Assisted Suicide The controversial topic of euthanasia in
mental health patients. According to Olié and Courtet (2016), one of the primary objectives of
the legalization of physician-assisted suicide (EAS) or euthanasia is to lessen suffering for
terminally ill patients whose pain is overwhelming despite receiving palliative care. It implies
that the patient has no reasonable options available to him or her, and that his or her painful
condition and functioning cannot be improved. Requests for EAS for unbearable mental
suffering caused by severe psychiatric disease may rise because mental disorders are among the
most disabling conditions. Although both are motivated by a desire to end one's life, EAS and
suicide may be distinguished by the fact that EAS results in death without self-inflicted behavior.
This fact brings up the issue: Should suicide prevention be considered when treating patients
with psychiatric disorders who request EAS? (Olié and Courtet, 2016)
Conclusion
There will come a time when a friend or family member will not recover, despite numerous
prayers for healing, the efforts of specialists, and current medication. It is hard to
Acknowledge that someone you love dearly might not be around forever. How can someone
who has been a part of your life for so long truly vanish? Guilt and conflict are common feelings
when you lose a loved one. If you can imagine the pain and suffering Nancy Cruzan, Karen
Quinlan and Terry Schiavo’s parents had to go through being put in a position to essentially kill
your own child. They were so young and had so much life left to live. I am a firm believer in
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“everything happens for a reason” and I believe God took their tragic situations and turned it into
something positive like how new laws were passed to prevent situations like theirs. If Dr.
Kevorkian had known any of those ladies, he would have been an advocate for not letting anyone
suffer. At the point when somebody is passing on, the expressions of the Holy book much of the
time take on a more profound importance. Even if your loved one is too ill or mentally impaired
to respond, you can still reassure them of your ongoing love and care by talking to, touching, and
showing affection.
After Thoughts
After the death of a loved one, it may be wise to contact a close friend who has previously
agreed to help. Caregivers and family may need to be assured that their dear one’s trial is over
and that he is no longer suffering. “The Creator of humankind lovingly assures us that “the dead
know nothing at all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our
physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will
last forever. But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be
transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is
blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we
who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies
that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our
dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be
fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. “O death, where is your victory? O grave, where is
your victory?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. “But
thanks to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Corinthians 15:50-
57) (Home-Hospice Basics, 2022)
Euthanasia
Everyone will have an opinion on euthanasia, and, like everything else in this world, not
everyone will agree. Who am I to say if it is right or wrong, but I do believe nobody should
have? to suffer if there is a way to end that suffering. If you have ever had to watch a loved one
suffer through a disease like Parkinson's, you would see how inhumane it is to not assist them.
My grandfather, who raised me as his daughter lost his life with the battle of Parkinson's disease
last year. He was, at one time, a certifiable genius before the disease took over and by the end he
was like a child, having to change his diapers. I know if he were in his right mind at the end, he
would have asked for a mercy kill. I know most Christians are against euthanasia. The arguments
are usually, all life is God given, birth and death are a part of life processes which God created,
so, we should respect them therefore no human being has the authority to take the life of an.
innocent person, even if that person wants to die. (Stowers et al., 2022)
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