The thesis statement states the approach and reception towards the dominant attitude towards the attitude that is prevalent towards deaths of patients that has been assisted by the physician. This process of physician assisted death is limited for those who are affected by the life-limiting illnesses and has a varied about of experience in the palliative care. The Canadian Supreme Court has decided in favor of the facility that allows the patient to arrive at the decision of ending his own life under the supervision of a certified physician. With the help of samples including 102 participants among whom 70 were patients, it was found out that four out of five of them opted in favor of the provision. The presence of a wide range of primary data, that included a variation of religion, race, age and belonging to a functional status would help in the furthering of future research in the field of Physician Assisted Death (PAD).
Physicians and ethicists have provided further perspectives Physician Assisted Death. According to them, the outcome has been based on the occurrence of any harm or severity in the process of conducting euthanasia. Research has shown that the process of assisted suicide and euthanasia is a process that goes against the ethics and oaths taken by medical professionals who believe in the mandate of curing. The research also provides evidence regarding the abstinence from suicide as it is propagated by religions. The basis of any religion is the utmost value that has been attributed to life. The secular society argues about the role and responsibilities of medical practitioners as their stance and action are also factors that dictate the value development in the society. However, this perspective is limited to a meager population who do not agree to the legalization of euthanasia and PAD.
From the perspective of dampening the chances of development in the palliative care, it can be argued that the increase in number of euthanasia leads to the development of lackadaisical approach towards inventions and developments of palliative care and its scope. The contrast is shown in the developmental scale of palliative care in Benelux countries who approve of the process of Physician Assisted Euthanasia while those who are not approving of PAD. Belgium and UK recorded a substantial increase in the amount of money spent on palliative care, while the number is sensitive in nature for countries like Luxembourg and Iceland.
Other researches argue that the facility of Physician Assisted Death and Euthanasia should not be restricted to those who are diagnosed with chronic illnesses; it should also be legalized for those who are suffering from treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. Extensive research has been conducted for the reason behind the discrimination that is done towards people with mental and psychiatric illnesses. Treatment resistant disorder is defined as the disease that causes the refusal of accepting any form of treatment that is offered to the patient. Surveys have found out that more than sixty percent of suicides that amounts to a staggering number of 800000 number of suicides in a year are caused by mental disorders such a bipolar mood disorder and major depressive disorder. From the 60% of the above stated number, more than 20 to 30% is categorized as treatment resistive in nature. One of the major argument that the paper poses is the need of extensive research for developing a diagnosis that caters to the needs of Treatment Resistive Disorders. The other basis of argument is rooted in the ethical issues that are involved in carrying out euthanasia or Physician Assisted Death. However the factors determining the rate of response of the patient towards Treatment Resistive Disorder is extremely tricky. The need for strict eligibility that qualifies an individual for seeking the option Physician Assisted Death must be increased. However, the research extends to the scope of effects that follow the process of euthanasia.
Physically Assisted Death or Euthanasia is an extremely debatable and sensitive topic that is legalized in a handful nations, and are available under strict eligibility criterions. However, the debate is still raging as to whether the process should be legalized in the first place. As from the previous section of various perspectives on PAD, it is evident that the decision of opting for PAD itself is extremely tricky. The inclusion of TRD in the list of those who can opt for PAD is also debatable. The importance of agreement of the patient is also taken into consideration as in a lot of instances, the patients are not capable of taking the decision on their own due to their vegetative state.
However in order to ensure the absence of any misuse of the law and absuse of the law, a few steps need to be employed such producing a written consent that is voluntary in nature. The person who is opting for euthanasia must be competent as the time of making the request and the process should take place over a long period of time. However, a huge number of people are euthanized every year without their consent in Netherland. Many of them have been given lethal substances that have led to their death without any consent on their part. The transgression has been easier as the judicial system have become more lenient regarding these issues. Belgium has recorded a higher number of both non-voluntary and involuntary cases of PAD. Non-voluntary euthanasia is defined as the process of euthanasia in which the person is not able to provide his or her consent because of reasons such as coma or dementia. Involuntary euthanasia has been defined as the process of euthanasia in which the person, in spite to being capable of providing consent has not agreed to it. Research findings have documented 25 out of 1644 non-sudden deaths to be euthanasia that was carried out without the explicit consent of the patient. It is also necessary to make the act of reporting as mandatory. Although it has been decided by the jurisdiction of the countries, which have legalized PAD, the cases of euthanasia needs to be reported to the concerned authorities, it is mostly overlooked or ignored. The process of euthanasia also needs to be done in explicit presence of a certified physician and the presence of nurses expect for the case of Switzerland, where it is illegal to euthanize anyone without the presence of a doctor. A number of cases have been reported from Flanders that show the presence of nurse in assisting the patients being euthanized without any explicit request of their presence. There is also the need of opting for a second consultation and opinion of a doctor before proceeding with the process of euthanasia and Physician Assisted Death. Belgium requires a third consultation before carrying out euthanasia. It is also essential to ensure that the consultation should be objective in nature and not be connected to the care giving process of the patient. From the above evidences and facts, the argument involving the performance of PAD and euthanasia is definitely a slippery slope. The nature of the argument is extremely complex, legal, and philosophical. The slippery slope is both practical as well as social in nature. From the legal aspect, application of laws are very few where medical practitioners have been prosecuted. While the social slippery slope states that the one accepted reason for being euthanized will lead to the justification of many more. This will ultimately give rise to a complete failure in the objective of opting for Physically Assisted Death in the first place. Surveys on the reason behind the failure of palliative care that addresses suffering can be categorized as being afraid of the future outcomes, completing burn out from being unrelented by the disease, the need to have control over one’s life, chronic treatment resistive depression, extremity of suffering that includes refractory pain.
The United Nations has devised the euthanasia in Netherlands as a violation of Human Rights as its jeopardizes the integrity of an individual’s life and poses a threat to the factor of safety. The presence of autonomy and choices are important in the society, however it lacks the limit. As per the findings of the above stated evidences of research, many countries have voted against the legalization of Physically Assisted Death and Euthanasia.
Nevertheless, the decision of continuing or ending one’s life is completely dependent on the individual’s wish and consent. For this very reason, the debate over the legalization of euthanasia still pervades in the society. for this very reason, it is important to ensure the lack of abuse and misuse of the facility that can help to liberate those who are in need of ending their lives. But the development of palliative care and services should also continue to develop and educate healthcare professionals in order to ensure lesser number of individuals opting for Physician Assisted Death as well as the violation of the judicial system that safeguards the system of PAD.
Work Cited
Boudreau, J. Donald, and Margaret A. Somerville. “euthanasia and assisted suicide: a physician’s and ethicist’s perspectives.” Medicolegal and Bioethics 4 (2014): 1.
Chambaere, Kenneth, and Jan L. Bernheim. “Does legal physician-assisted dying impede development of palliative care? The Belgian and Benelux experience.” Journal of Medical Ethics 41.8 (2015): 657-660.
Hizo-Abes, Patricia, Lauren Siegel, and Gil Schreier. “Exploring attitudes toward physician-assisted death in patients with life-limiting illnesses with varying experiences of palliative care: a pilot study.” BMC palliative care 17.1 (2018): 56.
Schuklenk, Udo, and Suzanne van de Vathorst. “Treatment-resistant major depressive disorder and assisted dying.” Journal of Medical Ethics 41.8 (2015): 577-583.
