Rae, Moral Choices: Euthanasia2

And now to Rae...Wednesday 21 September 2011

The case of Terri Schiavo was headline news in the USA fairly recently - this is a brief retelling: - she went into a near vegetative state as a result of a heart attack which deprived her of oxygen and meant she was severely brain damaged - in time she required a feeding tube to be inserted into her stomach to keep her alive - her prognosis (forecast of the likely course of a disease, sickness) for recovery was considered very poorWednesday 21 September 2011

- her husband asked that the tube be removed and she be allowed to die - her family disagreed saying she would have wanted to live - a court case followed with each arguing their case - eventually the feeding tube was permitted to be removed and she was allowed to die - the relationship between husband and parents had been good at ﬁrst but deteriorated rapidly - accusations made of physical abuse by the husband and that he had children by another woman whilst Schiavo was on the feeding tubeWednesday 21 September 2011

Traditionally the 6th commandment, Ex 20:13 - "You shall not murder.[c] [ESV footnote: Exodus 20:13 The Hebrew word also covers causing human death through carelessness or negligence] and the Hippocratic Oath, have prevented doctors from assisting in suicide or killing patients. Schiavo’s case shows that modern medicine has great ability to prolong life even with poor life quality. For the elderly this is a problem to be considered - do they prolong life even if quality is poor?Wednesday 21 September 2011

Some organisations now work for the legalisation of assisted suicide - they provide information on how to be free from the torment of terminal illness with or without medical assistance. Oregon was the ﬁrst state in the USA to legalise assisted suicide - other states enforce their laws prohibiting it. Some European countries have laws allowing assisted suicide and euthanasia, e.g. Netherlands & Belgium - Switzerland has clinics established for people to go “die with dignity” in. This is a hotly debated topic - and many still have concerns about euthanasia spreading to those who are not terminally illWednesday 21 September 2011

Deﬁnition of key terms Withholding or withdrawing of medical treatment from a dying patient and allowing them to die. - withdrawing ventilator support - not administering cpr (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to patientsWednesday 21 September 2011

Termination of key support Deﬁnition life terms Withholding or withdrawing of medical treatment from a dying patient and allowing them to die. - withdrawing ventilator support - not administering cpr (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to patientsWednesday 21 September 2011

Physician assisted suicide The physician is more active in helping cause the death of the person. Normally they provide a medical means by which a person can end their own life - usually a lethal dose of medication, which is given along with instructions on how to use. Death should happen in minutes and is caused by the medication not the underlying disease.Wednesday 21 September 2011

Euthanasia Comes from the Greek meaning “good death.” sometimes a person is so ill or close to death they cannot manage to do it for themselves so the doctor is more directly involved. This is also called “mercy killing.” it is the direct and intentional eﬀort of a doctor or medical professional in helping a dying person to die. Usually a lethal injection is administered to the patient - death is a direct result of the doctors action.Wednesday 21 September 2011

Ordinary and extraordinary means End of life medical decisions are sometimes distinguished on this basis. Ordinary means are the normal course of treatment for a disease without it becoming excessively burdensome on the patient - such as antibiotics for an infection - these are morally obligatory. Use of a respirator might be thought of as extraordinary and is morally optional. There is ﬂexibility in their meaning due to the progress of medical science - and the patients situation has to be considered, ordinary depends on the condition and prognosis of the patient. Some now use the words obligatory and optional.Wednesday 21 September 2011

Living will / advance directive Some people decide before becoming ill what treatment they do and do not want to receive - this is an advance directive or living will. Here you can select a person to act in making medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to. E.g. The desire not to be on mechanical life support systems if no real possibility of recovery or low quality of life - or more detailed like no food or water by mechanical means or “do not resuscitate”.Wednesday 21 September 2011

Living wills enable the person to make decisions before any medical situation arises - and to have properly thought them through. Living wills are more common now in the USAWednesday 21 September 2011

Competence Competence ethics refers to the patients level of understanding of the treatment options and give informed consent to the option taken. Patients become incompetent when they fall into a coma, vegetative state, are in extreme pain etc. - in such a case a living will can guide the medical staﬀ. If no living will has been made a surrogate or proxy decision maker is recognised to act on the patients behalfWednesday 21 September 2011

US legal precedentsWednesday 21 September 2011

The end of life in biblical perspective The Bible says we are made in God’s image - and life is sacred - innocent life is not to be taken. The time and manner of our death belong to God - Ecc 3:1-2, Heb 9:27. Rae says we also have an obligation to care for the vulnerable in society - which includes the dying. Death was not originally in God’s plan - it was a result of the entrance of sin - Paul Ramsey, an evangelical ethicist suggests that death is wholly alien to mankind, imposed as a result of sin - we were made for eternal life, and death is inconsistent with this fact.Wednesday 21 September 2011

The Bible does say death is a normal part of life - Ecc 2:14-16, 3:19-21, 5:15-16 - it is an enemy and a normal part of life - though death is now conquered through the work of Christ - and if it is conquered does it always need to be resisted? Should we delay an inevitable death? If the prognosis is poor and treatment will not give beneﬁt shouldn’t we welcome death as entry to eternal life? Rae says the foundation of the sacredness of human life make it clear that suicide is prohibited by the Bible.Wednesday 21 September 2011

Rae says, “the notion that innocent life cannot be taken because the timing and manner of someone’s death belong to God alone suggests that while life support can be removed and death can be allowed to run its natural course, physician assisted suicide and euthanasia are very problematic”Wednesday 21 September 2011

Rae, Moral Choices: Euthanasia2

by Richard Chamberlain

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Rae, Moral Choices: Euthanasia2 Presentation Transcript