EUTHANASIA The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma.

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An Introduction to Euthanasia
Dr. Ashish Suttee
M.Pharm., MBAHCS, PhD

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3. EUTHANASIA
The painless killing of a patient
suffering from an incurable and painful
disease or in an irreversible coma.
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4. When did euthanasia start?
The word "euthanasia" was first used in a medical context
by Francis Bacon in the 17th century, to refer to an
easy, painless, happy death, during which it was a
"physician's responsibility to alleviate the 'physical
sufferings' of the body."
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5. Why is euthanasia a ethical issue?
This is an ethical issue because it is controversial – it
is about life and death decisions.
Euthanasia means 'a good death' (1) and it is concerned
with a person's right to choose to end their own life
(and get help to do so) if they choose.
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6. What is human euthanasia?
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide refer to
deliberate action taken with the intention of ending a
life, in order to relieve persistent suffering. In most
countries, euthanasia is against the law and it may carry
a jail sentence. In the United States, the law varies
between states.
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7. Why was euthanasia introduced?
A bill was introduced to Britain's House of Lords in 1936
that would allow anyone over 21 years old who was mentally
competent and fatally ill, or sick with an incurable disease,
and suffering from immense pain to request voluntary
euthanasia. In 1957, the Vatican proclaimed that passive
euthanasia was acceptable.
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8. Who was the first person to use euthanasia?
Australian Man First in World To Die With Legal Euthanasia.
A terminally ill man has become the first person to die
under Australia's new assisted suicide law, the doctor who
helped him said today. The physician, Dr. Philip Nitschke,
said he administered a lethal dose of barbiturates on Sunday
at the patient's home
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9. 10/22/2021 9
QUIZ 1
Allowing someone to die by not doing something that would
prolong life is called________________.
a. Voluntary euthanasia
B. Passive euthanasia
c. Non voluntary euthanasia
d. Active euthanasia

10. How euthanasia is done?
Euthanasia is performed by the attending physician
administering a fatal dose of a suitable drug to the patient
on his or her express request.
Palliative sedation is not a form of euthanasia: the patient
is simply rendered unconscious with pain reducing drugs and
eventually dies from natural causes.
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11. Why is Euthanasia an important topic?
Euthanasia involves a clash of two important values:
respect for individual autonomy and respect for life.
All societies in which reasonable people would want to
live must uphold respect for life and at two levels:
respect for every individual human life and respect for
life in society in general.
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12. Why is human euthanasia wrong?
Proponents say: The main reason some doctors support
voluntary euthanasia is because they believe that they should
respect their patients' right to be treated as autonomous
human beings. That is, when doctors are in favour of
euthanasia it's because they want to respect the wishes of
their patients.
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13. What are the 4 types of euthanasia?
1. Active euthanasia. In active euthanasia a person directly
and deliberately causes the patient's death.
2. Passive euthanasia: Allowing someone to die by not doing
something that would prolong life.
3. Voluntary euthanasia: Voluntary euthanasia occurs at the
request of the person who dies
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14. 4. Involuntary euthanasia: The person wants to live but is
killed anyway
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15. Who is eligible for euthanasia?
patient must be aged over 18. patient must make 2 oral and
1 written request for euthanasia. There must be at least
15 days between the first and the last request. Patient
must be terminally ill with a life expectancy of less than
6 months.
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QUIZ 2
In __________________ a person directly and deliberately
causes the patient's death.
a. Voluntary euthanasia
b. Passive euthanasia
c. Non voluntary euthanasia
D. Active euthanasia

17. What is an example of involuntary euthanasia?
Involuntary euthanasia. The person wants to live but is
killed anyway. This is usually murder but not always.
Consider the following examples: A soldier has their stomach
blown open by a shell burst. They are in great pain and
screaming in agony.
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18. Is euthanasia painful for humans?
The pet will lapse into unconsciousness, and then progress
to anaesthesia (the absence of pain). The decision for
euthanasia is a difficult one, but the actual process is
painless and very quick, granting our beloved pets a
peaceful ending to their lives.
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QUIZ 3
When a patient is taking his or her own life with the aid of
a physician, then it is known as_____________.
a. Suicide
b. Passive suicide
C. Physician-assisted suicide
d. Active euthanasia

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21. Euthanasia
1. The painless killing of a patient suffering from an
incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible
coma.
2. Mercy killing to prevent a prolonged and painful death.
3. From the Greek “ευθανασία” meaning “good death”.
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22. 4. It is also known as:
- Physician Assisted Suicide
- Physician Aid in Dying
- Mercy Killing
- Imposed Death
It is currently illegal in most locations.
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23. Karen’s Story:
A. Our friend Karen has been personally affected by the
illegalization of euthanasia.
B. Growing up, her father had been her protector, her teacher,
her guiding light, her truest friend. Together, they had
the classic “daddy-daughter” relationship.
C. She regarded her father with the utmost respect;
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24. he was her hero.
D. He taught her the patience to learn how to ride a bike,
the courage to make friends, and the self confidence to
trust herself.
E. He provided his daughter with lessons and advice that she
would never forget.
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25. 10/22/2021 25
QUIZ 4
______________to prevent a prolonged and painful death.
a. Intentional killing
B. Mercy killing
c. Complicity killing
d. All of above

26. F. Unfortunately, their time together was much shorter than
it should have been.
G. Her father had been diagnosed with cancer.
H. As time progressed, his condition steadily worsened.
I. He was clearly not the same person that he had once
been;
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27. his personality and physique had become unrecognizable.
J. Karen could do nothing but stand by and watch her hero’s
life slowly slip away.
K. He was undoubtedly suffering.
L. Her mother, with the power of attorney, selfishly refused
to let her husband die in peace.
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28. M. She believed that he should fight for his life.
N. The suffering continued. Before long, both of her
father’s
legs had been amputated and his condition had become
vegetative.
O. He continued to suffer.
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29. P. After what seemed like an eternity for him, Karen’s father
passed on March 25, 2011.
Had euthanasia been legal in Illinois, her father would not
have had to suffer the way he did and peace would have been
an option for him.
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30. 10/22/2021 30
QUIZ 6
_________________is currently illegal in most locations.
a. Intentional killing
b. Mercy killing
c. Euthanasia
D. All of above

31. Types of Euthanasia
A. Voluntary- The person wants to die and says so. This
includes:
 refusing medical treatment
 asking for medical treatment to be stopped
 asking for life support to be switched off
 refusing to eat
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32. B. Non-Voluntary- The person cannot make a decision or
cannot make their wishes known. This includes:
 coma patients
 child and infant patients
 severely brain damaged patients
 senile patients
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33. C. Involuntary- The person wants to live but is killed anyway.
This includes:
 patient being refused a life sustaining treatment
 drugs being too costly
 a limited supply of organs for a transplant
 patient being on a long waiting list
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34. D. Active- the medical professionals, or another person,
deliberately do something that causes the patient to die.
E. 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.
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35. This includes:
 switching off life-support machines
 disconnecting the feeding tube
 not carrying out a life-extending operation
 not giving the patient life-extending drugs
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36. 10/22/2021 36
QUIZ 7
The person wants to live but is killed anyway is known
as__________
a. Mercy euthanasia
b. Voluntary euthanasia
C. Involuntary euthanasia
d. None of above

37. Euthanasia in the Media
Here is a popular clip from the movie “Million Dollar Baby”,
please watch as it displays euthanasia to a broad spectrum of
people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx0oM-uKYqM
The media has recognized euthanasia as an issue. In order for
the public to accept it, they first must be exposed to it.
This is a step in the right direction.
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38. How did million baby die?
Eventually though he decides that he owes it to Maggie to
help her die. He brings a massive dose of adrenaline to
the hospital where Maggie lives, disconnects her
ventilator, shuts off the machine's warning alarm and
injects her with the drug. She dies moments later.
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39. Why did Frankie kill Maggie?
Frankie kills Maggie because she doesn't want to go on
living after being catastrophically injured and disabled in
a boxing match. It isn't just the disability that leads to
her suicidal desire. In the world of the script, she is
plunged headlong from triumph to utter hopelessness
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40. Importance of Euthanasia
A. “As human beings, we are endowed with the freedom
of choice, and we cannot shuffle off our
responsibility upon the shoulders of God or nature.
We must shoulder it ourselves. It is our
responsibility.” - Arnold J. Toynbee
•
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41. Importance of Euthanasia
B. If we are free to make the our own choices of how
to live, we should also be able to make our own
choices of how to die. The power belongs to the
patient.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIgD8vpjy9o
•
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42. C. Debilitating illnesses, such as cancer, are
currently on the rise.
D. The more people diagnosed with these illnesses
directly correlates to the number of people faced
with the euthanasia issue.
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QUIZ 8
“As________, we are endowed with the freedom of choice,
and we cannot shuffle off our responsibility upon the
shoulders of God or nature.
a. A Doctor
B. Human beings
c. Pharmacist
d. A physician assistant

44. India's Supreme Court allows 'passive euthanasia' | India |
Al ..
http://www.legalserviceindia.com/article/l265-Suicide-&-
Euthanasia.html
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45. Legal Euthanasia outside of the US
Assisted suicide is currently legal in the Netherlands,
Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Legal Euthanasia within the US
Assisted suicide is currently legal in the states of
Oregon, Washington, and Montana.
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46. The Netherlands
• In 1984 the Dutch Supreme Court ruled voluntary euthanasia
was acceptable, provided doctors followed strict
guidelines.
• In the fall 2000, the Dutch parliament voted to formally
legalize the practice, making the Netherlands the first
nation in the world to do so.
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47. Belgium
• The Belgian parliament legalized euthanasia in late
September 2002.
• It became the second country in the world to legalize
euthanasia.
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48. Luxembourg
• The country's parliament passed a bill legalizing euthanasia
on 20 February 2008 in the first reading with 30 of 59 votes
in favor.
• On 19 March 2009, the bill passed the second reading, making
Luxembourg the third European Union country, after the
Netherlands and Belgium, to decriminalize euthanasia.
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49. Luxembourg
• Terminally ill people will be able to have their lives ended
after receiving the approval of two doctors and a panel of
experts.
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50. Oregon
• This is the first state in the United States to legalize
euthanasia.
• In 1994, voters passed the Death with Dignity Act (DWDA)
with a majority vote. This became effective in 1998.
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51. • Conditions
a. The person must be terminally ill.
b. The person must have six months or less to live.
c. The person must make two oral requests for assistance in dying.
d. The person must make one written request for assistance in dying.
-
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52. e. The person must convince two physicians that he or she is
sincere and not acting on a whim, and that the decision is
voluntary.
-
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53. f. The person must not have been influenced by depression.
g. The person must be informed of "the feasible alternatives,"
including, but not limited to, comfort care, hospice care,
and pain control.
h. The person must wait for 15 days.
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54. Washington
• In 2008, the electorate of the state of Washington
voted in favor of Initiative 1000 which made assisted
suicide legal in the state through the Death with
Dignity Act.
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55. Montana
• On December 5, 2008, state District Court judge Dorothy
McCarter ruled in favor of a terminally ill resident who had
filed a lawsuit with the assistance of Compassion and Choices,
a patient rights group.
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56. Montana
• The ruling states that competent, terminally ill
patients have the right to self-administer lethal
doses of medication as prescribed by a physician.
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57. Brittany Maynard, Portland
This 29-year-old woman made a video about her
journey to assisted death that touched millions of
people. Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and
given only six months to live, Maynard and her
family moved to Portland, Oregon in order to have
access to the state’s Death With Dignity Act.
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58. Brittany Maynard, Portland
In the lead up to her final days, Maynard travelled
with her husband and mother to places she’d always
wanted to see, like the Grand Canyon. The video in
which she explains her decision and tells her story
has been viewed over eleven million times.
https://youtu.be/yPfe3rCcUeQ
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