In an excerpt from Moral Hazards by Kate Jennings, Cath and her husband Bailey face a difficult decision as Bailey’s condition worsens in his battle with Alzheimer’s. The disease has taken away what Bailey values in life, leaving him with a sense of failure. Before the final stage of the disease descends upon him, Bailey, afraid of the future he knows will befall him, asks Cath to end his life for him, knowing that he will not be able to himself. Bailey does not want to live life suffering, unable to enjoy life, and wants to ‘die with dignity’. One evening, Bailey hemorrhages and Cath fully expects this to be Bailey’s end, however the doctors at the nearby ER do not respect Bailey’s DNR. As a result, Bailey survives but is confined to his bed,
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As long as one’s actions don’t harm others, one should have the freedom to direct one’s life and make decisions extending to choosing one’s death in certain end-of-life situations such as when a person has a DNR order. Bailey has reached the end of his life in the terminal stage of Alzheimer’s and is and before he progressed to that point, had expressed disappointment and sense of failure in losing his autonomy (Jennings 193). He was afraid of losing his dignity and sense of self, and struggled as realized how bad it was getting. Bailey’s mother is mentioned by her decision to commit suicide rather than enter a nursing home, and Bailey expresses his admiration of “her courage” and his own “commitment to ‘dignity in death’” (Jennings 193). It is morally good to respect a person’s autonomy as well as the wishes of a patient whom has indicated their intent in wanting to not continue their suffering, perhaps as expressed with a DNR order. In the instance of a patient on life support, they can request to be taken off of these life-supporting machines, and die; a case of passive euthanasia. In his article “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, author James Rachels argues that from a moral standpoint, there is no difference between active and passive euthanasia or killing someone and letting someone die. For Rachels, the decision of inaction is an action in it of itself, and overall the outcome of both is ultimately the same: the death of the patient, although active euthanasia is more merciful to the patient (Rachels). Bailey experiences a loss of autonomy in functioning as a human being without aid from others. He can no longer do what he loves; much less clean himself after use of the toilet. As his condition deteriorates even further, he no longer perceives what is happening in the world around him. When Cath makes the decision in the final stage to end Bailey’s life, she is doing so with prior
As long as one’s actions don’t harm others, one should have the freedom to direct one’s life and make decisions extending to choosing one’s death in certain end-of-life situations such as when a person has a DNR order. Bailey has reached the end of his life in the terminal stage of Alzheimer’s and is and before he progressed to that point, had expressed disappointment and sense of failure in losing his autonomy (Jennings 193). He was afraid of losing his dignity and sense of self, and struggled as realized how bad it was getting. Bailey’s mother is mentioned by her decision to commit suicide rather than enter a nursing home, and Bailey expresses his admiration of “her courage” and his own “commitment to ‘dignity in death’” (Jennings 193). It is morally good to respect a person’s autonomy as well as the wishes of a patient whom has indicated their intent in wanting to not continue their suffering, perhaps as expressed with a DNR order. In the instance of a patient on life support, they can request to be taken off of these life-supporting machines, and die; a case of passive euthanasia. In his article “Active and Passive Euthanasia”, author James Rachels argues that from a moral standpoint, there is no difference between active and passive euthanasia or killing someone and letting someone die. For Rachels, the decision of inaction is an action in it of itself, and overall the outcome of both is ultimately the same: the death of the patient, although active euthanasia is more merciful to the patient (Rachels). Bailey experiences a loss of autonomy in functioning as a human being without aid from others. He can no longer do what he loves; much less clean himself after use of the toilet. As his condition deteriorates even further, he no longer perceives what is happening in the world around him. When Cath makes the decision in the final stage to end Bailey’s life, she is doing so with prior