2. Active: “occurs when the medical professionals, or
another person, deliberately do something that
causes the patient to die” (BBC News,2014)
Passive: “the patient dies because the medical
professionals either don’t do something necessary to keep
the patient alive, or when they stop doing something that
is keeping the patient alive” (BBC News,2014)
EX:
-Taking someone off life support machine/ feeding tube
-Not carrying out a specific life-extending procedure or
- Giving them life extending drugs
3. Conflict over definitions! (Boudreau and
Somerville, 2014)
• Euthanasia’s Origins: meaning of “a good, gentle, and easy death”
(Boudreau & Somerville, 2014, p.2).
• Today: ”to euthanize,” which the Oxford Dictionary indicates as the
action of “putting (a living being, especially a dog or cat) to death
humanely” (2015).
• Boudrea and Somerville’s perspective: USE the Canadian Senate’s
Definition
• which states that euthanasia refers to “the deliberate act undertaken by one
person with the intention of ending the life of another person in order to
relieve that person’s suffering” (Parliament of Canada, 2000).
• OFTEN CONFUSED WITH PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE
4. Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) 0r Physician Aid-
in-Dying (PAD)
• “the practice in which a
physician provides a competent,
terminally ill patient with a
prescription for a lethal dose of
medication, upon the patient’s
request, which the patient
intends to use to end his or her
own life” (Starks, Dudzinski &
White, 2014).
• BOLDED statements get at
“The Dying Person’s Bill of
Rights”
be treated as a living human until I die. maintain a sense of hopefulness, however changing
its focus may be.
be cared for by those who can maintain a sense
of hopefulness, however changing this may be.
express my feelings and emotions about my
approaching death in my own way.
expect continuing medical and nursing
attention even though “cure” goals must be
changed to “comfort” goals.
not die alone.
participate in decisions concerning my care. be free of pain.
have my questions answered honestly. retain my individuality and not be judged for my
decisions, which may be contrary to the belief of
others.
expect that the sanctity of the human body
will be respected after death.
be cared for by caring, sensitive, knowledgeable
people who will attempt to understand my needs and
will be able to gain some satisfaction in helping me
face my death.
5. FROM A SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVE Definitions and actions of Euthanasia and PAS = BIOETHICAL CHALLENGES
Each respect individual’s autonomy and self-determination
What about Beneficence? Doing what’s best for client but not harming the client or others?
Section 1.02 in the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers:
“social workers may limit clients’ right to self-determination when, in the social
workers’ professional judgment, clients’ actions or potential actions pose a
serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others” (National
Association of Social Workers, 2008).
QUIZ QUESTION: Why is PAS and Euthanasia a bioethical challenge for social
workers?
Answer: Conflict between the autonomy of the client and it’s the risk of harm to
the client
This challenge is presented to the general public as well
6. Against PAS
• The word suicide!The act of taking
one’s life.
• STIGMA: Society tends to
associate it with the concept of
failure, either in community
support, mistreatment of mental
health issues, or individual
shortcomings.
• It’s a scapegoat for life’s reality!
• “Free choice of PAS is illusory”-
(Golden, 2014).
• Driving forces: feelings of being a
burden on family, elder abuse
• Overall problems in managed
care.
7. For PAS
• Respecting autonomy, justice,
compassion, honesty and transparency
(Starks, Dudzinski, & White, 2014)
• Relief of anguish for patient and family
• Predictability in death, preparation for
death and saying goodbye
• allows patients the opportunity to “die
with dignity rather than have the illness
reduce them to a shell of their former
selves” (Balancedpolitics.org, 2014)
• reduce health care costs, “which would
save estates and lower insurance
premiums,” along with freeing up nurses
and doctors “to work on savable
patients” (Balancedpolitics.org, 2014)
