Pros And Cons Of Life Support

In case of elective surgery, the patients are being informed about risk and benefit of the blood transfusion as well as the consequences of the refusal of the transfusion. Usually, Jehovah’s Witness patients have to sign a consent form which excludes the blood transfusion. In case of emergency, the doctors try to save the life. When they learn about the patient is a member of the Jehovah’s Witness, then it becomes a very challenging situation for them. They have to balance between the respect for the patient’s belief and their own commitment to promote and protect a patient’s life.

If we do, we would miss out on organ transplants and waste medical resources. Singer takes the position that individuals that are declared brain dead are still alive. He argues we need not to create bogus definitions of death and instead recognize that all lives are not equally valuable.

It means that it is not right for the terminally ill people that are suffering to be alive. There is different way of saying about the moral distinction between passive euthanasia and active euthanasia. Most people think that it is acceptable to allow doctors to end their patient’s life by withholding the treatment but it is not accepted to kill a patient through an intended process (deliberate act). However, some doctors or medical specialist agree and accept that the doctors are free to provide death to any patients that they want without discussing the moral problem of them if they consciously killed the

Futility is an ancient term that was used by Hippocrates stating that physicians should “refused treatment for those who are overcome by the disease.” (Kasman, 2004). Physicians are not obligated to continue medical treatment that they deem ineffective or harmful to their patients (Kasman, 2004). Physicians must use their clinical judgment when deciding if treatments are futile. They need to clarify to family and patients between treatments that are ineffective and still provide care that benefits the patients (Kasman, 2004).

The euthanasia process can be used to end the suffering of dying humans as well. Laws and personal beliefs make euthanasia a controversial topic. However, euthanasia, or assisted suicide, can relieve the pain and sadness towards the end of a person’s life. Although assisted suicide is a controversial issue in the

Ending a medication that is keeping a patient alive or not performing a life-saving procedure carries out passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia involves the control of a noxious drug or otherwise actively ending the life. (MNT, 2010). Although euthanasia is known widely, still it is a debatable topic. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the issue of euthanasia and whether or not it should be legal.

The human organ selling market is often controversial. The idea of fighting for one 's country and dying could be considered heroic but in relevance to living or dead organ market, many individuals are discussed. The thought of selling a friend or family members vitals could seem horrid but also leaving their bodies to decompose could possibly be a waste of material that could have been tested to cure the disease that may have killed them. If one can sell or donate blood or plasma, what 's to say they could also sell an organ. Also, in relevance to the living and dead, if that individual does not need it then why would it be considered negative to make profit on it.

That is very true, but the current laws that oppose euthanasia are for the protection of patients from abuse by dishonest actions and methods of physicians who will be ending their life, not to cause needless pain and suffering (Marker and Hamlon). Although there is little evidence on assisted suicide and euthanasia that is collected from real patients, the studies that collect data from current patients, and not hypothetical questioning, show different results than what is most broadcasted by supporters. These studies reveal that those who choose a premature death do so because of the fear instilled in them by the idea of physical deterioration and lose of community with the rest of society (Nolan n. pag.). It may seem that physical deterioration is the same as pain, but in this case, it is not. This type of physical deterioration is with the loss of community, which many believe to result in the loss of self, autonomy, and independence (Nolan n. pag.).

One barrier that embodies multiple categories of barriers is a circumstance where the loved ones of a vegetative patient are requesting all measures to be taken despite very low odds. Financially, these desperate measures are commanding a vast amount of resources that boost costs not only for the hospital but for the family as well. Legally, the healthcare professionals are required to respect the patient’s wishes and if they wish to remain attached to expensive machines, the healthcare professional must adhere to those desires. Another ethical and legal barrier for families is knowing when to pull the plug and when to wait for a miracle. Letting go of a family member is an excruciating task to ask of anyone; however, if a patient requests to not be hooked up to life preserving machines or requests to have a DNR code status, the family must legally respect those wishes although it may not seem ethical to them.

It is the patient’s decision to hasten the death. Although, yes the physician is prescribing the medications, it is ultimately the patient’s decision in the end. PAS is not a decision thought of and taken in the heat of the moment sort speak. It has a waiting period with numerous requests to a physician for help in obtaining medications; it is a process that, if truly intended as a means to an end, takes some time to get through.

Physicians should consider whether further treatment will abide by these two principles, and if not, futility ensues. It is ethical for physicians to decline to provide treatment, which is judged to be medically inappropriate, either where such treatment is not in the interest of the patient, or where there are insufficient resources to provide treatment of this level of benefit. For example, treatment should be labeled futile for a young patient with severe and multiple trauma who is in coma (in absence of brain death) despite optimal therapy and no reversible causes are identifiable or a patient with end-organ dysfunction on prolonged life supportive therapies, having no improvement. The concept of medical futility is in line with social justice and is more pronounced in resource restrictive settings The following table (Table 1 ) may serve as a guide to recognize medical futility.

Euthanasia and Grey’s Anatomy Euthanasia has quickly become a controversial topic in the medical field. Healthcare professionals have always been viewed as healers or people that do whatever it takes to fight illness. Euthanasia, however, changes this traditional view of healthcare professionals. Many people are confused about the definition of euthanasia.

Even in a persistent vegetative state a person still has fundamental rights under the state and federal constitution to refuse or direct the withdrawal of death prolonging procedures. The hospital fear of removing the feeding tube is justified under most state laws. Only in a few states it has been legalized for physician-assisted suicide. That is they allow doctors to assists patients to end their lives if the patient are to ill to do it by themself. In other states, doctors who assist their dying patient end their life of excoriating pain and suffering could be charged with murder.

Assisted suicide is a controversial issue made apparent by the media. Assisted suicide is the act of intentionally killing oneself with the assistance of another. This is very different from euthanasia. Euthanasia is when a person deliberately ends a life to spare them the suffering such as by lethal injection. Assisted suicide is when the physician provides the means for death, letting the patient administer the medication.