Euthanasia and Its Affect on Health Care

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Table of Contents

Abstract3

Introduction4

Discussion4

Conclusion6

References8

Abstract

Euthanasia or physician assisted suicide is a most controversial topic of debate in the history of medical and healthcare sciences. It is also a debatable issue in the court of law. The decision to condemn oneself to be murdered willingly on the hands of an expert medical practitioner is indeed an issue that related to the deplorable mental state of a chronically ill patient. Although it is a suicidal attempt but the idea behind euthanasia is to stop the sufferings of a long term illness, due to which the patient is unable to regain a normal healthy life. Therefore, for such patients, the practice of euthanasia is considered as a blessing. However, it becomes an ethically difficult decision for the physician to assist in such an act of suicide.

The health care providers today find it difficult to process through the request of euthanasia but keeping in mind the physician- patient relationship, it sometimes seems necessary to fulfill the demands of the patient, looking towards it as a cry for help and not viewing it as suicide.Introduction

Euthanasia can be defined as a condition in which the intentional decision is taken by the patient to end his/her life, assisted by the physician, to end sufferings of an incurable and a prolonged disease. In simple words, the doctor terminates the life at the request of the patient.

The debate of euthanasia was based on the Hippocratic Oath and the denunciation of this practice.

Within the last two centuries the public has spurned many discussions about Physician-assisted suicide and Euthanasia from many different historic perspectives.

Voluntary active euthanasia is the practice of administering medication to induce patient's death, as per patient request, with his/her full consent. In case of an involuntary active euthanasia, the physician takes a medical decision to end the life of the suffering patient, without the request or the consent of the patient, but the condition that the patient was compliant with the idea of ending his/her own life

Discussion

To state that euthanasia should be permitted is because the decision to live and die, i.e. the control over one's life is the fundamental right of a person. The ability of make self proclaimed decisions and control the circumstances of one's own being should be an individual's right.

In a condition where a patient is suffering from a prolonged disease, making it impossible to exercise control over his/her body, the ability to make a decision to end the prolonged suffering and state of hopelessness should be within the reach of the patient.

It is not possible to cure all the diseases, and the condition which presents itself to the public eye is even more at an arm's length to reality than anyone can realize. In case of such a condition, it sometimes becomes necessary for the patient to take the decision of euthanasia. The law to regulate the cases of euthanasia assists the fact the occurrence of suicidal attempts be decreased, since euthanasia is based ...