Applied Ethics- Biomedical Ethics Midterm Assignment

In other words euthanasia is intentionally causing the death of a person to relieve them from suffering or pain and assisted suicide is helping the person kill him or herself. The main difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide is that in assisted suicide the patient is in complete control of the process that leads to death because he or she is the person who performs the act of suicide. The other person simply helps provide the means for carrying out the action. However, in euthanasia the patient is not causing his or her own death. I believe that the film, The Sea Inside, provides us with an example of assisted suicide. Ramon wanted it to be a case of euthanasia, but lost that battle when he took it to the courts. So he was left with no choice but to find the means to end his own life. With the help of his friends, he was able to get a hold of potassium cyanide and by drinking it he was able to take his own life.

There are multiple types of physician assisted suicide. Collectively, they fall under the categories: active or passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is when someone steps in and deliberately ends a life. An example of this would be a physician administering a lethal dose of muscle relaxants to end the life of a patient. Passive euthanasia is best described as when a patient withdraws from a life preserving treatment. Euthanasia in general can also be classified as either voluntary, non-voluntary, and involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is when a person makes the conscious decision to end his or her life. Non-voluntary euthanasia is when a person is unable to give their consent, and another person makes this decision on their behalf. This usually is the case for patients who are in a coma who have previously expressed this wish. Involuntary euthanasia is when a person is killed against their wishes. Involuntary euthanasia is almost always considered

In discussing the difficult subject of biomedical ethics, there are different scenarios that play out differently because of people’s views about morality. Consider the scenario of an eighty year-old man whom we will call Mr. Simpson. Years of getting the flu with complications has left Mr. Simpson’s lungs very weak and unable to take another year of the flu. In fact another year of the flu will likely kill him. He does not want the flu shot because he sincerely believes that the actual flu shot will give him the flu. With further research, the doctor and the family find that Mr. Simpson will accept an immune boosting shot only. If the physician lies to Mr. Simpson about the injection then he will

For instance, if a doctor gave an overdose of medication or gave a lethal injection this would be considered an active euthanasia. Passive Euthanasia is withholding something needed for life. Examples of this might be taking someone off of a feeding tube or life support and letting them die on their own.

Passive euthanasia can be defined as letting the patient die. The doctor takes the patient off their treatment and let the disease run through until they die. Active euthanasia is not legal today, and leans more toward killing the patient. The patient is ready to die so the doctor gives a lethal injection to speed up the process. Physician assisted suicide is almost a combination

Physician-assisted suicide, also known as euthanasia, has been a hot topic as of late. If you do not know what this is, physician-assisted suicide is the taking of ones life. This usually occurs when a patient is in a irreversible state, and must live through a tube. With multiple cases occurring in the past, current and the more to occur the in the future, this looks to remain a hot topic. Some of those cases include Terri Schiavo, and Scott Thomas, which have both resulted in court cases and conversation all around the globe. Physician-assisted suicide is one of those topics that can be looked at multiple ways, and have multiple different solutions. Someone could look and justify it through the lens of Natural law and could bring up the doctrine of double effects, or the preservation of human life. Another person could go against it by using utilitarianism and could bring up how it maximizes the good, and produces the greatest overall good. Whether you find it to be murder/suicide or just a smarter decision if you cannot life properly, you must realize this is an issue that does need to be discussed more. Even with the attention it has gotten, it still is not discussed politically, and is not up there with other popular topics in our media today. If someone is in a state where he or she has to live off a tube is he or she really even alive?

Euthanasia is categorized in various forms. The first category deals with the patient’s consent. Voluntary euthanasia refers to a patient making the voluntary enduring demand to be assisted with the procedure of assisted suicide while involuntary euthanasia is ending the patient’s life without their consent or awareness. Euthanasia is also categorized in the approach the patient’s life was ended. Active euthanasia is ending a patient’s life by the use of drugs with or without the aid of a physician. Passive euthanasia is terminating a patient’s life by disregarding the necessary actions to maintain life such as withdrawing water, food, drugs, medical and surgical procedures. While passive euthanasia is legal in Canada, active euthanasia is considered murder and is illegal.

Active versus passive euthanasia are two different, albeit arguably similar, ways in which an individual is helped to die. Passive euthanasia involves withholding life-saving medical treatment or removal from life

There are different forms in which suicide and euthanasia can take place. Suicide, for example, can be assisted, while euthanasia can be either passive or active. Passive euthanasia is when a physician will allow nature to take its course and

The greatest freedom for any individual is to live and to die on your own personal terms, desires and beliefs. People have choices when it comes to “end-of-life” such as, advanced care directives, to physician-assisted dying, and death with dignity, which is a movement that provides options for terminally ill to control their own “end-of-life” care. The term “assisted suicide” is a term used to explain a process where a doctor physically engages in a procedure, in which death will occur to an individual that is terminally ill, via directly or indirectly. “Voluntary termination of one’s own life by administration of a lethal substance with the direct or indirect

The above-mentioned types of Euthanasia can be further divided into two more major parts: Active and Passive Euthanasia. The hastening of the death of a person by active procedures such as deliberately overdosing on a medicine is known as Active Euthanasia. On the other hand, Passive Euthanasia is when death to a patient is brought by an omission. It is when the treatment necessary for the continuance of life is brought to an end. For example, ventilators or life support

Most moral codes state that killing another human being is morally wrong. I would agree that to kill another human being in the heat of anger, for material gain or in the event of committing a crime would be morally wrong. But I feel that our moral codes are lacking in certain areas and do not take into account some situations where killing another human being would be morally acceptable. This type of killing would be to end the person’s suffering only. These cases the killing would be called active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia “taking a direct action to kill someone, to carry out a “mercy killing”. (Vaughn, 2010) “Passive Euthanasia is

Professionals in every field are always confronted with some kind of ethical issues. It has however been noted that these ethical issues become high in magnitude and extent when public officials are involved. Due to the involvement of human life, an industry like healthcare holds ethics in highest regard. Even though these healthcare practitioners are highly trained to deal with issues of these kinds, their decisions can sometimes have a lasting impact on their professional and personal lives (Edwards 2009).

Witcombe, J., & Sanchez, J. (2004). Food systems and security helping the poor cope. Retrieved from http://www.id21.org/health/InsightsHealth5art3.html

To clarify, active voluntary euthanasia occurs when a medical practitioner deliberately and directly causes the death of a patient with means such as with lethal injection. Physician assisted suicide happens when patient-requested, pharmaceutical means are provided for that patient to end his or her own life (Emanuel, Ezekiel J., et al. "Attitudes and practices of