EUTHANASIA – AN ETHICAL DILEMMA IN PALLIATIVE CARE
The origin of the word euthanasia comes from the Greek word euthanatos – eu meaning good or pleasant and thanatos meaning death, more so when someone has control over their death, how they die and where they are when that happens. Unfortunately, as illness and suffering takes over health and wellbeing, this becomes nearly impossible for many, resulting in the question of a person’s right to an assisted death to relieve pain and suffering (Starr 2014). Currently, Euthanasia remains illegal and a complex social issue in Australia which continues to be debated by the community (Byrne 2013). While most nurses argue that patients should be supported in their decisions to end their life if they are …show more content…
As a lot of ethical dilemmas about ending life continues to rise and become common, physicians of all specialties, all registered nurses and enrolled nurses will be confronted with questions from patients and their families, and from legislators and the media. There will come a time for a patient suffering from a terminal illness, where treatments aimed at cure is either no longer effective or the burden of side effects such as severe nausea and vomiting becomes so overwhelming that patients cancel out any benefit for treatment (Best 2010). However, despite the fact that patients have a right to make decisions about their life and treatments, there are several laws that prevent them from opting for euthanasia. Euthanasia violates codes of medical ethics that have existed since the ancient past and the Hippocratic oath taken by doctors on graduation prevents them from aiding a patient’s death (Best 2010). This results in terminally ill patients suffering from incurable disease to remain in pain and suffering, hence depriving them of their rights to autonomy to end their life quicker and peacefully if they so choose to. Consequently, patients are not able to achieve a quality life by being in pain and suffering …show more content…
When studying the motives for request of patients requesting Euthanasia in countries where it is legal, aspects of sufferings were commonly identified (Karlsson 2012). Patients have the choice to go for either active or passive euthanasia. In active euthanasia, the patient asks the doctor to end his/her life, which is done by performing an action such as a lethal injection, while in passive euthanasia, the patient refuses medications thereby accelerating his/her death without any specific action being carried out. Regardless of which way the patient decides to go for euthanasia, the aim is to put an end to their suffering (Nasseh 2015). In 2014, Dr Nitschke was suspended by the Medical Board of Australia of South Australia on the basis that he posed ‘serious risk on the health and safety of the public’. The latter supported two patients in ending their lives by encouraging them to take the illegally imported euthanasia drug pentobarbital. Dr Nitschke was of the belief that with knowledge about their end of life choices, people should stop worrying and get on with living their final days. He thought that denying folks the right to discuss Assisted Suicide and Safe Suicide was not only cruel, it was uncivilized (Starr 2014). End of life decisions are complex with ethical,
The origin of the word euthanasia comes from the Greek word euthanatos – eu meaning good or pleasant and thanatos meaning death, more so when someone has control over their death, how they die and where they are when that happens. Unfortunately, as illness and suffering takes over health and wellbeing, this becomes nearly impossible for many, resulting in the question of a person’s right to an assisted death to relieve pain and suffering (Starr 2014). Currently, Euthanasia remains illegal and a complex social issue in Australia which continues to be debated by the community (Byrne 2013). While most nurses argue that patients should be supported in their decisions to end their life if they are …show more content…
As a lot of ethical dilemmas about ending life continues to rise and become common, physicians of all specialties, all registered nurses and enrolled nurses will be confronted with questions from patients and their families, and from legislators and the media. There will come a time for a patient suffering from a terminal illness, where treatments aimed at cure is either no longer effective or the burden of side effects such as severe nausea and vomiting becomes so overwhelming that patients cancel out any benefit for treatment (Best 2010). However, despite the fact that patients have a right to make decisions about their life and treatments, there are several laws that prevent them from opting for euthanasia. Euthanasia violates codes of medical ethics that have existed since the ancient past and the Hippocratic oath taken by doctors on graduation prevents them from aiding a patient’s death (Best 2010). This results in terminally ill patients suffering from incurable disease to remain in pain and suffering, hence depriving them of their rights to autonomy to end their life quicker and peacefully if they so choose to. Consequently, patients are not able to achieve a quality life by being in pain and suffering …show more content…
When studying the motives for request of patients requesting Euthanasia in countries where it is legal, aspects of sufferings were commonly identified (Karlsson 2012). Patients have the choice to go for either active or passive euthanasia. In active euthanasia, the patient asks the doctor to end his/her life, which is done by performing an action such as a lethal injection, while in passive euthanasia, the patient refuses medications thereby accelerating his/her death without any specific action being carried out. Regardless of which way the patient decides to go for euthanasia, the aim is to put an end to their suffering (Nasseh 2015). In 2014, Dr Nitschke was suspended by the Medical Board of Australia of South Australia on the basis that he posed ‘serious risk on the health and safety of the public’. The latter supported two patients in ending their lives by encouraging them to take the illegally imported euthanasia drug pentobarbital. Dr Nitschke was of the belief that with knowledge about their end of life choices, people should stop worrying and get on with living their final days. He thought that denying folks the right to discuss Assisted Suicide and Safe Suicide was not only cruel, it was uncivilized (Starr 2014). End of life decisions are complex with ethical,