Personhood and Severely Invalid Persons - Essay Example

?Paper The Concept of Personhood and Severely Invalid Persons The concept of personhood is complicated. The definition of self and who an individual is can be a very important thing in setting up the framework for ethics and respect for the rights of people. In this paper, I will examine important concepts in the theory of personhood and the prominent debates on the subject. These debates would be linked to the position of severely invalid persons like persons with Acute Dementia in the ward I did my practical work in. Questions to be addressed include, who are they? What is their position in the society? And what moral and ethical obligations do health professionals like nurses owe to such persons. In my study of philosophy, I had on question on my mind and this was from my practical work. The question was, what is the position of people with acute dementia. The are seriously invalid and have a tough existence. I therefore began to wonder how their rights to health care accrued and why the state decided to respect their rights as human beings. I began to find out why we are required, as health professionals to take good care of them. I found a lot of answers about the fundamental rights of seriously invalid persons in my study of philosophy and readings on the theories on personhood. From my readings, I identified that personhood has been debated thoroughly in history. The Founding Fathers of America decided to grant equal rights to all the colonialists to kind of liberate them from the harsh rules of the British colonialists. This became the fundamental principles of human rights which became part of the United Nations' conventions over 170 years after America gained independence in 1776. Merrill (1998) argues that in the world today, personhood is the basis of rights. She states that “the person is to ethics as the cell is to biology: the minimal basic unit” (Merrill, 1998). Personhood therefore forms the basis for the definition of moral theory. The society depends on the mutual recognition of personhood (Elridge, 1989). Thus, the fundamentally flawed societies failed to attribute respect to the personhood of certain people. Examples include Nazi Germany which killed six million Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals because in their view, these persons did not have rights that guaranteed them life and justice. Aside these people, Germans with acute mental issues like those with down syndrome and acute dementia like those I cared for during my practicals were a blotch to the pure Aryan race the Nazis sought to raise. They were separated and most of them were killed. This is because they were not viewed as humans or persons, under the Nazi philosophy. Also, there is evidence of several people in the Nazi concentration camps being used for experiments like twins, blue eyed person and midgets/dwarfs. This is because such persons were not considered to be 'persons'. Eventually, Nazi Germany was invaded by the Allies and this was seen as a triumph of good over evil. The United Nations was formed in 1945 to protect the rights of people in all parts of the world. In the long run, it is clear that the nations that led the United Nations and Allied course had studied important elements of 'personhood' and that forms the basis of moral ethics today which defines the fundamental rights of patients including people with severe dementia. Locke, who was one of the earliest philosophers whose concepts supported human rights argued that an individual defines himself in a given way. That is what sets the foundation of his identity. Once this is done, the individual is viewed as he defines himself or herself and define him or her as a 'person' (Locke, 2003). Thus, it is more of self which evolves to the person. In Locke's second treatise, it was concluded that a society is a collection of persons (2003). Due to this, persons come together to collectively define the structures of a society. As such, they should have rights in order to live a meaningful life. Kant on the other hand, believed in the theory of individual dignity (1999). This means that a person must be respected and this means an individual must have rights that protects his or her dignity. Thus, Kant advocates for a universal concept that would define the position of each human being in every society. From these concepts, it is conclusive that human beings need to be given rights as 'persons'. So what about people suffering from acute dementia and can do nothing constructive to the society. What gives them the right to live and the right to healthcare? From Locke's argument, these people with acute dementia are still human beings. They need to be treated as human beings because they are 'persons'. Due to this, the society needs to have moral ethics and biomedical ethics that protects their rights. Even if they were born with the dementia, they are human beings and they have fundamental rights. On the other hand, most of the patients were once active human beings and if their condition has changed tremendously due to dementia, they need to be given care and support. Their human dignity ought to be protected by law. Due to this, the social welfare structure of the state ought to guarantee their rights. Thus, Walters argues that the individual with an invalid status must be honoured and his right and identity as an adult person of the society needs to be enshrined and protected at all costs (1997). That explains why all modern countries deduct national insurance contributions from its citizens. This goes on to support these persons to get the appropriate degree of care in case they become invalid and struck by dementia. The health professional like a nurse needs to be careful and considerate in dealing with such persons. This is because biomedical ethics also support the need for the protection of these persons' rights to life. In conclusion, the concept of personhood emanates from an individual's definition of his or her self. Due to this, other define him or her as a persons. Since persons come together to define the society, they need basic and fundamental human rights which protect their dignity as persons. In case a person becomes seriously invalid, that individual needs to be protected against demeaning treatments. In the situation of dementia patients, their rights are guaranteed by human right conventions as well as biomedical ethics. Due to this, health professionals need to treat them with respect and care. References Elridge, R. I. (1989) On Moral Personhood: Literature & Criticisms London: SAGE Publications Kant, I. (1999) Critique of Pure Reasoning Reprint. New York: Forgotten Books. Locke, J. (2003) Two Treatises Reprint. New York: Forgotten Books Merrill, S. B. (1998) Defining Personhood: Towards Cities of Qualities in Clinical Care New York: Rodopi Press. Walters, J. W. (1997) What is a Person? Oxford: Oxford University Press. Paper 2 Biomedical Ethics Protecting Dementia Patients' Rights to Care. In this paper, we examine the dementia's right to protection from abuse. In this study, we will assess biomedical ethics about the protection of rights of patients who are severely invalid due to dementia. The medical ethics and rights of these people. I will also draw on my experience working in these wards as a student undertaking practicals Rights The patients of dementia in all degrees have important rights. As members of the society, they have rights to life which is guaranteed by the law of the land. From my experience of working with dementia patients, I have come to understand that they need special care and understanding. Without that, they cannot have an existence and the would die miserable deaths if they are neglected. Due to this, some important laws protect them. This is a small section of the wider legal system which protects vulnerable people in the society and this is the same for children and other people suffering from illnesses that keep them in a compromised position in the society. The Equality Act of 2010 replaces anti-discriminatory laws that are supposed to protect vulnerable people with serious medical conditions (Saunders, 2012). Under the law, medical professionals are to take the best care of patients. They need to provide services that reflect the best interest of dementia patients. The Equality Act 2010 also makes it illegal to discriminate against classes of dementia patients as well as dementia patients in relation to other classes of patients. Also, the society needs to take an active role with such patients and must take up efforts to protect their members who are suffering from dementia (Alzheimer Society, 2009). These laws and regulations provide the rightful framework for the protection of patients suffering from dementia. There are also some pressure groups and other interest groups who initiate campaigns relating to dementia and Alzheimer's disease. This means that these groups contribute to the development of laws to protect these persons. Drugs that are being manufactured in the pharmaceutical industry are subject to the demands of such interest groups. Medical Ethics & Medical Professions There are some ethical requirements that complement the rights of people suffering from dementia and Alzheimer' disease. These obligations require medical professionals to do their best to support dementia patients and promote their livelihoods as human beings with this unique sickness. In examining thee implication of Alzheimer's disease, Saunders identifies that poor quality care breaches the rights of persons suffering from dementia (2012). This means that this forms the framework for rules and regulations that guide healthcare professionals. First of all, health professionals are required by the Department of Health National Dementia Strategy to undertake quick and competent assessment of every case (National Health Service, 2012). This means that there is the obligation of health professionals to use the best methods and systems to analyse a patient's conditions and come up with solutions to the problem. Secondly, there is the need to use principles of medical science to diagnose the case and come up with a proper strategy for dealing with the problem. This should give an insight into the stage of the sickness and possible implications. Thirdly, health professionals need to provide immediate care and arrange for allied services to be carried out on the patient. This might mean the institution of continuous support for the patient. Thus, the medical professional needs to link up with connected services to arrange appropriate care. This could be in-house care in a medical facility or home care based on the circumstances of the family or patient. Also, the patient and his or her family ought to be given access to appropriate information to deal with the problem at hand. Good quality care must be arranged. Also, in some circumstances, a health professional needs to arrange peer support groups for the patient. This will include putting him or her in a home or provide a social setting where s/he can communicate with other patients in order to enhance his or her quality of life to promote long life. Practicalities During my practicals, I noticed that there are some important matters and possibilities that can stand in the way of providing quality care to people who are being treated of dementia. This is due to the limits in the mental capacities of persons diagnosed of this condition. Due to the medical conditions of these patients, there is poor quality care and breaches of rights for persons in this condition (Commission on the Funding of Care & Support, 2011). This is because such individual cannot talk or protest in most cases, as such, there are possibilities that these breaches would go unnoticed. Secondly, there are some negative attitude towards dementia which affects patients. Personally, when I was assigned to the ward, I had no understanding of the problem. I therefore had to learn a lot in order to meet the requirements. Most family members and people who see such patients might not be supportive of such persons. Another problem with dementia patients is that there is a difficulty in evaluating what a patient says. Personally, some of the patients had different stages of the complication of their illnesses. Whilst some had minimal mental challenges like petty short term memory losses, others had very serious challenges and could not blend into the social setting. Also, the conditions of patients seem to get more severe with age. Thus, it takes experience to have a meaningful connection with these patients. One of the biggest challenges is wrong prescription (Bowcott, 2009). Most medical staff member provide reckless care to these patients. However, due to the fact that these patients cannot complain, most medical practitioners who provide wrong diagnosis go undetected. In conclusion, the rights of people suffering from dementia is enshrined in the laws of the land. This is in the form of human rights laws as well as other specific medical rules. Medical ethics protect these patients. However, in reality, most patients get poor care and are often misunderstood due to their condition. References Alzheimer Society (2009) Counting the Cost London: Alzheimer's Society Bowcott, O. (2009) Chemical Restraints Killing Dementia Patient [Online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/nov/12/anti-psychotic-drugs-kill-dementia-patients [Accessed: 19th September, 2012.] Commission on the Funding of Care & Support (2012) Fairer Care Funding: The Report on Funding Care & Support Chaired by Andrew Dilmot. National Health Service (2012) Dementia Treatment [Online] Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Dementia/Pages/Treatment.aspx [Accessed: 19th September, 2012.] Saunders, T. (2012) Equality, Discrimination & Human Rights Alzheimer's Society. [Online] Available at: http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1674 [Accessed: 19th September, 2012] Paper 3 In this paper, I will undertake an enquiry into the concept of mercy killing and euthanasia in relation to people suffering from acute euthanasia. Morals and ethics protect the rights of all human beings. However, in some cases of dementia coupled with some complications, a patient goes though a lot of suffering. In encountered a complex situations where the patient was on the verge of death and was undergoing a lot of difficulty. In that sense, some of my colleagues began a debate on whether this person should live or die. In this paper, I will try to examine some important debates on euthanasia and people suffering from serious diseases with no solution in sight. Ethical Dilemma In the case of a patient with a serious medical condition, there would be two conflicting ethical requirements or expectations of medical practice. In a case where a patient is dying and it is apparent that s/he will die, the patient might be going though a lot of pain in order to complete the transition from life to death. In that case, the nurse or doctor might come under pressure to decide on whether or not to help the patient to die or not through inducing death. Gergen, (2009a) states that medical ethics evolved from social norms. In other words, the biomedical ethics is a reflection of what the society expects of a health professional. In that case, the health professional might have a tough ethical dilemma if the rules of her oath directs her to save a life and the realities on the ground require that she terminates the life of a person. In that case, what should a person do? There are various arguments for and against euthanasia, which is the killing of a person suffering from a serious and incurable conditions. These arguments provide guidance on what a nurse needs to do in these moral ordeals. Arguments Against Euthanasia Beau & Childress (2000) argue that the health professional has an obligation of non-maleficence. This means that the medical professional has a bigger obligation to desist from causing harm to a patient than to ease the pain on a patient. This means that in this context, the health professional would have to stay away from the medical condition and allow the patient to go through whatever he is going through. Personally, I also think that some conditions could be defined as hopeless on a day. On another day, there could be some kind of happening that would render the condition curable. In that sense, a person would be liable to manslaughter if he had induced the death of the person in the previous day. In that sense, I can say that doctors and nurses need to take a bigger care of patients and not rush to do anything without regard to other eventualities and things that could change the situation. Annandale (1998) argues that the medical profession is guided by ethics because it separates the doctors from the wider society. This means that if the ethics are disregarded, the profession would be pushed into disrepute. Therefore, I think that if medical professionals go into committing mercy killings, the image of the profession would be tainted. This means that health professionals would need to stay away from acts like euthanasia, even if the patient would suffer from it. Also, in a religious sense, I think that euthanasia is considered to be some form of murder in most religions. In the Judeo-Christian context, there is the case where King David ordered the one who killed King Saul to be killed on the grounds of murdering a King of Israel. This is in spite of the fact that King Saul appealed to the person to assist him to end his life and the man carried the crown to King David. Since ethics reflect the norms of a society (Gergen, 2009a), it is in order that euthanasia be banned in medical practice. Arguments for Euthanasia On the other hand, there are some arguments for euthanasia. One of them is that the medical professional has the obligation to promote beneficence (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). This means that the health professional needs to carry out what is best for the patient. In some cases, the best option for the patient is the acceleration of his death. However, due to the fact that no one knows the future and human life cannot be replaced, killing a patient does not seem to be an acceptable option in any case. Another argument can be found in the fact that human beings have a democratic right to determine when and how they would die (Tew, 2002). In that sense, people can choose to instruct a health professional to help him or her to end his life. This therefore means that euthanasia could be permitted in that sense. Another aspect of science is that it comes with an inherent component of certainty (Gregen, 2009b). Thus, if health professionals are allowed to terminate the lives of patients with cases declared hopeless will ease unnecessary physical suffering on people who are in critical conditions. On the other hand, it would help ease the mental torture and anxiety of people who have relatives living in such tough conditions and are hovering between life and death. Reflective Perspective In the case of a person suffering from serious dementia and some other complications, the default position is to keep them until they die naturally. I think that it is wrong to induce the death of such persons because they have an equal right to remain alive in their current condition like anyone else. Also, our society encourages people to love and respect older members of the society. This means that it is wrong to take the life of a person with dementia. Also, if it is argued that anyone can determine the time of his or her death, then I can argue conversely that people suffering from dementia like those in the ward I worked in do not have the mental capacity to determine when to die because from time to time, they do lose sensitivity the reality. So it is wrong to induce their death under any circumstance. In conclusion, I think euthanasia is not a practice that ought to be encouraged in the health sector. From my experience and knowledge, I think that they have right to life and the right to proper healthcare. References Annandale E, (1998) The Sociology of Health and Medicine: A critical introduction, Cambridge: Polity Press Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2001) Principles of Biomedical Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press Gergen K.J. (2009a) The Saturated Self. Dilemmas of Identity in Contemporary Life. London: Basic Books. Gergen K. J. (2009b) An Invitation to Social Constructivism. 2nd ed. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Tew J. (2002) Social Theory, Power and Practice. London: Palgrave Macmillan Read More