Euthanasia, or mercy killing, is one of the most contested issues in contemporary times. It evokes strong opinions and is given attention in the media. There are the occasional court cases, typically criminal prosecutions medical practitioners. This issue should be dealt with in a serious fashion and the death with dignity pros and cons should be understood.
Modern medicine has made the treatment of terminally ill patients possible to such a degree that they sometimes spend months or even years in prolonged care. Previously, these patients would not have survived their conditions for that span of time. Yet they remain alive until, eventually, their death is imminent and no treatment can delay it. At such times, they may consider euthanasia, or mercy killing/death.
The concept of euthanasia is self-explanatory and has been practised since time immemorial. Mercy killing, or the deliberate infliction of death on hopelessly sick or injured patients is easy to understand. It is also practised by soldiers after a battle. Medical patients, too, sometimes abandon their ineffective treatment regimen and resort to suicide. None of this is recent in its presence in society.
Despite this, the law in most countries does not give medical staff permission to terminate their patients. The rationale behind such laws is self-explanatory. Medical staff cannot be permitted to euthanase patients under their care because they may then terminate those who may well have survived, for whatever reason. The court cases that arise typically revolve around medical personnel who either apply for official permission to euthanase a patient or who have already performed the procedure and are being prosecuted.
A famous case involved a doctor in the UK, Harold Shipman, who murdered 285 elderly patients. Although they were unaware of the intentions of their doctor, he used poison to kill them. Providing doctors with permission to perform euthanasia may enable medical staff with such intentions to act on them. Sentenced to prison, Shipman himself committed suicide on his 58th birthday.
The most common form of modern euthanasia is lethal injection. It is similar to the technique that is used in some states to execute prisoners on death row. The doctor uses substances that are not sold to the public. These should only be used by a medical practitioner, because they can be administered in lethal doses and might also be prescribed as medication in lower doses.
The law prohibits the mercy killing of terminally ill patients. These patients sometimes lose so much lifestyle function or have to endure such substantial pain that they are not interested any more in continuing the symptomatic treatment that has no effect on the underlying condition. It is not uncommon for them to resort to self-medication on improvised regimens, such as illegal drugs, or even to end their lives in a conventional way. But where they cannot commit suicide, they sometimes ask their doctor to perform euthanasia.
As the debate around euthanasia continues to rage in the media and other public platforms, terminally ill patients continue to commit suicide or apply for permission to be euthanazed. Legislation needs to regulate medical practise, but the inordinate suffering of terminal patients is also a significant factor in society and in how they are treated, one that is possibly more important than the legislation itself in some cases.
Modern medicine has made the treatment of terminally ill patients possible to such a degree that they sometimes spend months or even years in prolonged care. Previously, these patients would not have survived their conditions for that span of time. Yet they remain alive until, eventually, their death is imminent and no treatment can delay it. At such times, they may consider euthanasia, or mercy killing/death.
The concept of euthanasia is self-explanatory and has been practised since time immemorial. Mercy killing, or the deliberate infliction of death on hopelessly sick or injured patients is easy to understand. It is also practised by soldiers after a battle. Medical patients, too, sometimes abandon their ineffective treatment regimen and resort to suicide. None of this is recent in its presence in society.
Despite this, the law in most countries does not give medical staff permission to terminate their patients. The rationale behind such laws is self-explanatory. Medical staff cannot be permitted to euthanase patients under their care because they may then terminate those who may well have survived, for whatever reason. The court cases that arise typically revolve around medical personnel who either apply for official permission to euthanase a patient or who have already performed the procedure and are being prosecuted.
A famous case involved a doctor in the UK, Harold Shipman, who murdered 285 elderly patients. Although they were unaware of the intentions of their doctor, he used poison to kill them. Providing doctors with permission to perform euthanasia may enable medical staff with such intentions to act on them. Sentenced to prison, Shipman himself committed suicide on his 58th birthday.
The most common form of modern euthanasia is lethal injection. It is similar to the technique that is used in some states to execute prisoners on death row. The doctor uses substances that are not sold to the public. These should only be used by a medical practitioner, because they can be administered in lethal doses and might also be prescribed as medication in lower doses.
The law prohibits the mercy killing of terminally ill patients. These patients sometimes lose so much lifestyle function or have to endure such substantial pain that they are not interested any more in continuing the symptomatic treatment that has no effect on the underlying condition. It is not uncommon for them to resort to self-medication on improvised regimens, such as illegal drugs, or even to end their lives in a conventional way. But where they cannot commit suicide, they sometimes ask their doctor to perform euthanasia.
As the debate around euthanasia continues to rage in the media and other public platforms, terminally ill patients continue to commit suicide or apply for permission to be euthanazed. Legislation needs to regulate medical practise, but the inordinate suffering of terminal patients is also a significant factor in society and in how they are treated, one that is possibly more important than the legislation itself in some cases.
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