Transcript Do you have the right to die? Why or why not?

Do you have the right to die?
Why or why not?
Euthanasia
• Act or practice of painlessly putting to death
persons suffering from painful and incurable
disease or incapacitating physical disorder or
allowing them to die by withholding
treatment or withdrawing artificial lifesupport measures.
What’s the difference???
•
•
•
•
•
Passive Euthanasia
Voluntary Active Euthanasia
Non-voluntary Euthanasia
Physician Assisted Suicide
Suicide
Passive Euthanasia
• Passive euthanasia is an alternative name for
withdrawal of treatment - the doctor withholds lifesustaining treatment. Passive euthanasia occurs when
the patient dies because the medical professionals
either don't do something necessary to keep the
patient alive, or when they stop doing something that
is keeping the patient alive. The doctor may switch off
life-support machines, disconnect a feeding tube, not
carry out a life-extending operation don't give lifeextending drugs
Voluntary Active Euthanasia
• Those instances of euthanasia in which a
clearly competent person makes a voluntary
and enduring request to be helped to die.
Non-voluntary Euthanasia
The person cannot make a decision or cannot make
their wishes known. This includes cases where the
person is in a coma, the person is too young (e.g. a
very young baby), the person is senile, the person is
mentally retarded to a very severe extent, the person
is severely brain damaged, the person is mentally
disturbed in such a way that they should be protected
from themselves.
Physician Assisted Suicide
• The voluntary termination of one's own life by
administration of a lethal substance with the
direct or indirect assistance of a physician.
Dr. Jack Kevorkian
• Most well know figure in the right to die
movement in the U.S.
• Assisted in the suicides of 130 people
• Was prosecuted and sent to prison for 10-25
years for his role in assisted suicide. (He only
served 7).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ
myo6EvUY8
Suicide
• the process of purposely ending one's own
life.
Euthanasia in America
Death with Dignity Act (Oregon)
• To request a prescription for lethal medications, the
Death with Dignity Act requires that a patient must
be:
– An adult (18 years of age or older),
– A resident of Oregon, [see Oregon's definition of
"resident" in the Editor's Note below]
– Capable (defined as able to make and communicate
health care decisions), and
– Diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death
within six months.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPfe3rCc
UeQ
60 Minutes
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAHey2
LjA6c
• PA woman charged with helping father die.
60 minutes
• http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/a-doctorreflects-on-death-and-dignity/
• Doctor who opposes death with dignity.
Belgium
• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe26181615
Pro/Con Argument
Pro
• Ends pains and suffering
• We should have the right
to die
• Die with dignity
• Reduces health care cost
• Frees up doctors and
nurses time
• Vital organs can be saved
• Prevents messy suicide
Con
• Violates doctors’
Hippocratic oath
• Demeans the values of
human life
• Most religions prohibit
suicide
• Gov’t or insurance
pressure to end life
• Miracles cures
Peer Discussion
• Should euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be
legal?
• Are the economic pressures in the health care
system too great to safely legalize euthanasia and
physician-assisted suicide?
• Would legalizing euthanasia and physician-assisted
suicide destroy patient trust in the medical
profession?
• Should euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide
only be allowed for the terminally ill?