Medical ethics

Working in the emergency room, I am often presented with advanced directives and patient DNR’s. These forms of paperwork can been seen from a routine patient visit to a patient who is in cardiac arrest. In house educational training regarding these two topics is performed annually to keep nurses up-to-date with paperwork changes and knowledgeable on how to properly adhere to them. When a cardiac arrest is brought into the hospital and the patient’s family is able to provide a DNR, or MOLST form…

next-of-kin must decide. From that point, there are two methods of performing euthanasia, passively or actively. Passive approaches involve ending or withdrawing treatment and allowing the person to pass away naturally while active approaches requires medical professionals to take action and end their life, commonly done through lethal injection. Consequently, consent and whether deliberate action is taken to perform euthanasia are key factors that can influence the viewed morality of the…

Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide Euthanasia refers to intentional death offered to someone in order to relieve suffering and pain.Euthanasia is categorized into voluntary, non voluntary or involuntary. Non voluntary euthanasia in all countries is illegal, while involuntary euthanasia is considered as murder.there is a divided public opinion over the morality of euthanasia and legal issues that come with it are also weighty. Those who argue against it argue for sanctity in life, while those who…

One in four adults in the United States (61.5 million) is affected by a mental illness (McEnaney). Of the 61.5 million adults suffering from a mental illness, only 40% (24.6 million) are getting the proper treatment for it (Nieves). Additionally, 1/3 (250,000) of homeless people in the U.S. suffer from serious mental illness, and that number increases every day (Nieves). While health care for mentally challenged individuals in the United States has improved since colonial times, their care today…

Parkinson’s Disease is a brain disorder that results in the death of vital nerve cells. It leaves its victims with painful bodily tremors and no control over their movements. Ultimately, it results in paralyzation and death, there is no cure. Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia that progresses to loss of all memory and confusion in social situations. Victims behave erratically, eventually lose their language skills, and no longer can perform daily functions like eating or bathing, there is no cure…

approving of treatment, care, or the responsibility of another individual, consent is the priority. Consent will protect the patient’s right, or their lawful surrogate to express the decision that is in the best interest of the patient. Before any medical intervention, consent must be attained voluntarily, with full disclosure of the treatment, risks, and must be recorded (Simpson, 2011, p. 510). In the case that a patient or lawful surrogate refuse to sign consent or refuse treatment does…

They sit there hopeless, wishing there was a way out. Many terminally ill people are suffering everyday. While some people agree with legalizing physician assisted suicide, many others also disagree. Physician assisted suicide should be legalized because it helps people stop suffering and pass comfortably. In an article titled "Why I Believe in Voluntary Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide", Humphry states that "there is a second form of suicide-justifiable suicide, which is rational and planned…

"The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government.” There seems to be no better time than now during which Thomas Jefferson’s words remain relevant, with a growing majority of the public supporting the legalization of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. These terms refer to methods of administering lethal medications by a physician to terminate the life of a patient. It is self evident that good government must care…

Euthanasia on People and Why It Should Be Legal Euthanasia is the act of killing a living being with chemicals that will kill the animal or person painlessly. Currently this is illegal when it is being used on a person; even if the person wants to die the hospitals cannot euthanize a human. This is currently being debated on whether or not people should have the choice to have themselves euthanized or to live. This should be legal because it saves the resources we use to keep these people…

impossible to understand the pain that they are going through. According to New Health Guide, human euthanasia is legal in Belgium, Colombia, India, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, and some states in the U.S.. Human euthanasia is a medical practice that can end the pain of a terminally ill patient, the patients will use their rights in order to choose life or death. This method will be a compassionate response to someone’s suffering, and it will also shorten the grief of their…