Exploring the Effects of Euthanasia - Term Paper Example

Explore the Effects of One of the Special Types of Loss: Euthanasia INTRODUCTION Interest in the moral issues of euthanasia has been controversially growing with the development of palliative care services that provokes significantly moral reflections on the care of patients who are dying (Hermsen and Have). Around 400 BC, Hippocrates mentioned in the Hippocratic Oath that he opposed the practice of euthanasia; however, without him knowing that during the ancient Greek and Roman civilization, euthanasia has already been practiced. It was opined by Sandhyarani that a need to preserve a person’s life who is not interested in living and thought that life is a burden, is pointless. Since the ancient civilization to date, the debate on the legality of euthanasia and assisted suicide is still continuing, and whether or not to stand for mercy killing, would depend on the individuals’ ideology and understanding of the procedure (Sandhyarani). In severely ill patients, the ethical and legal issue that surrounds the active and passive life deprivation remains to be a controversial issue (Kaplan et al. 78). Euthanasia in the United States. In 1990, a physician associated suicide came to attention all over the United States when a physician from Michigan, Jack Kevorkian, connected to the “suicide machine” the victim of dementia of Alzheimer’s type, Janet Adkins, that enabled her to give potassium chloride (KCL) infusion to herself which resulted the end her life (Kaplan et al. 78). It was reported that after Janet Adkins, Kevorkian had reportedly helped 19 other patients end up their own lives before his license to practice medicine has been revoked by Michigan after facing possible trial for murder (Kaplan et al. 79). The American Medical Association (AMA) has consistently opposed the practice of euthanasia or physician assisted suicide and this has been supported by the declaration of World Medical Association (WMA) in October 1987 stating that euthanasia remains as unethical even at the request of the patient or his close relatives to deliberately end his life or the life of their patient (Kaplan et al. 79). On the other hand, Kaplan et al added that the New York State Committee on Bioethical Issues noted that even though they opposed to practice euthanasia, and although the treatment on occasion hastens the death of the patient, it is still the obligation of the physician to provide a treatment that is effective to alleviate patient’s pain and anguish (79). Definition of Euthanasia. Euthanasia is defined by Goel as a way of carrying out a “gentle and easy death” to those individuals with incurable and painful illness. Euthanasia is derived from the Greek word “Euthanatos” where “eu” means good while “thanatos” means death (225). Others had defined euthanasia for the hopelessly ill, injured or incapacitated as mercy killing or painlessly ending the life of individuals who are fatally ill and suffering from pain (Goel 225). Worst definition of euthanasia is killing intentionally a dependent person by act or omission for his or her alleged benefit (Goel 224). Additionally, the term “physician assisted suicide” is labeled when death of a person who wants to die is facilitated by a doctor (Goel 224). Hermsen and Have stated that it is acknowledged universally and is ethically undesirable and morally wrong to actively cause the death of a person (16). On the basis of moral principles of sanctity and respect to life, it is recognized that no one has the right to kill or get the life of another human being (Hermsen and Have 16). Moreover, being part of the death of the person or a patient is not a part of the care for the dying, and is considered as an act of murder because of the presence of its intention to take the life of another person or simply, to kill. Hence, by value of preserving human life, it is expressed that authorizing euthanasia would signify the failure of our accountability towards self and others (Hermsen and Have 16). Classification of Euthanasia. There are many classifications known for euthanasia, these include: (1) Passive euthanasia, (2) active euthanasia, (3) physician assisted suicide, (4) and involuntary euthanasia (Goel 225). Passive euthanasia is defined as hastening the process of dying by means of altering life support devices, and once these devices has been removed, death is allowed by just letting the nature take its natural course to take the life of the patient. Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation is not delivered to the patient and eventually, natural death would take its way sooner (Goel 225). On the other hand, active euthanasia engages in a persons’ death through direct action as a response of the request of the patient to die. Physician – assisted euthanasia, otherwise known as voluntary passive euthanasia, is a means of committing suicide by supplying the patient information or means for him to die. These include dosage of sleeping pills lethal to the patient or carbon monoxide gas poisoning (Goel 225). Involuntary euthanasia is the term used to describe the death of a person who has not requested an aid for his death. This is commonly practiced among patients who are under coma or vegetative state for months or years and is medically evaluated to never recover fully his consciousness (Goel 225). Statistics of Euthanasia. A national survey for physician assisted suicide and euthanasia in the United States revealed that around 7 percent of physicians responded to the survey complied to the patient’s request for physician assisted suicide and euthanasia at least once (Meier el al.). Under current legal constraints, 11 percent of physicians stated that on certain occasions, they are willing to speed up the death of patients by means of prescribing certain medications. On the other hand, 7 percent of physicians reported that they are willing to provide lethal injections to assist death. Other physicians stated that they are willing to respond to patients’ request provided that this is legal. There were also physicians who reportedly received a request for physician assisted suicide by prescribing medication as well as lethal injection since entering into medical practice. INFLUENCE OF GRIEF Definition of Grief. Grief, mourning, and bereavement are the three important terms for the psychological reaction applied to persons who were able to endure an important loss (Kaplan et al. 80). Grief is defined as a subjective feeling and a normal reaction caused by the death of the persons they loved, which does not usually require professional help (Kaplan et al. 80 and Swarte 1). Mourning on the other hand is defined as a process to resolve grief. Bereavement is a state of mourning, and means that death deprived them of someone (Kaplan et al. 80). Initially, grief is manifested as a state of shock expressed as an emotion of lack of feeling and confusion as well as short – lived inability to comprehend what has happened, followed by sighing and crying, as an expression of suffering and distress. Oftentimes, dreams of their dead love ones occur that brings a sense of disappointment when the dreamer awakens and discovers that all they have was only a dream (Kaplan et al. 81). Traumatic grief is a situation where the symptoms of grief would either take too long or short, too intense or not. It is believed that around 10 to 20 percent of people of bereaves, depending on its definition, will suffer from traumatic type of grief (Swarte et al. 1). Risk factors identified for developing traumatic grief includes sudden loss of a child or partner, low self esteem and internal control, lack of religious or spiritual belief (Swarte et al. 1). Suicide, which is considered as an unnatural death, causes severe reactions of grieving among members of the family. Additionally, euthanasia has been suggested to induce traumatic grief and is considered as well as an unnatural death. Nevertheless, suicide and euthanasia causes a different type of grief that may be experienced by the family members since the family and relatives are given the opportunity to say goodbye to patients who died secondary to euthanasia, which is unlikely in cases of suicide (Swarte et al. 3). The following are possible explanation why the bereaved family and friends of terminally ill patients who died by euthanasia has less symptoms of grief: (1) the family was given a chance to bid goodbye to the patient while he is still fully aware, (2) the family and friends were more prepared for the imminent death, and (3) the family and friends of the patient can still openly talk about death when euthanasia is requested by the patient (Swarte et al. 24). Management and Therapy of Grief. Special sessions of counseling is valuable for the bereaved because reactions of grieving may develop into depressive disorder or pathological mourning. Hence, grief therapy provided is considered as a skill that is increasingly important (Kaplan et al. 85). During the regular sessions scheduled for grief therapy, the person who is grieving is highly encouraged to speak on his feeling of losing the deceased. Oftentimes, difficulty in expressing his feelings towards the deceased is observed in many bereaved persons, and hence, a sense of reassurance must be shown to the bereaved persons. The attachment developed between the bereaved and the therapist during the grief therapy provides a temporary comfort that encourage gradually the patient to go on and take the new responsibilities and autonomy (Kaplan et al. 85). EXPLANATION OF A HEALTHY RESOLUTION FOR THE BEREAVED Grief is a healthy response to the loss of someone that is valued and wanted. It is a process of normal healing after an event that is traumatic and anticipated death. Grief is needed to make a healthy transition (EMDR Therapist Network). Sadly, it is identified that the grief experienced during death or loss of a loved one if not a process that is linear with a rule of book but rather, it is more like a traumatic healthy resolution that is completed after experiencing and completing the pain. The loss may not be forgotten but in a way, it is incorporated in a new approach of being in the world (EMDR Therapist Network). The core of human vulnerability has been touched during the finality of death, and the everyday demands of family life as well as their own and children’s grieving, confronts the adults during the process (Schwab). A discussion of the deceased may be kept to its minimum for weeks while coping with the intense pain caused by grief and reestablishing the family (Schwab). Also, the members must collaborate frequently to protect family members who are severely distressed when one is reacting in an attempt to manage intense grief. In the case of a distress adult, children must also cope with the psychological absence of their surviving parent who cannot attend adequately to the needs of the grieving parent or other sibling (Schwab). Communication and reestablishment of relationships that were neglected during the process of grieving must be restored by family members with optimal functioning as the equilibrium is regained by the adults (Schwab). Healthy grief resolution and reorganization of the family can be promoted by starting to participate during the cultural tradition appropriate to the family and mourning the loss in an environment of a family described as supportive and cohesive (Schwab). Unresolved losses in the family in addition to disengaged or conflicted relationships in the family, conflicts with the deceased that were unresolved, an aspiration to conceal the nature of death, and idealization that disallows the members of the family to talk freely about the deceased are few of the obstacles that can be considered to block the process of mourning (Schwab). Schwab also mentioned that excessive alcohol or substance abuse used to numb the pain brought about by grieving can also interfere with communication jeopardizing the health and relationships with their family. Although it is nothing but a natural inclination of human to desire to avoid the pain, but it is ironical, that the process of healing comes when the bereaved faces the challenges of giving the pain caused by grief the time and space that it needs. Moreover, a sense of isolation is developed when the loss is compounded because the opportunities of the family member to communicate openly and explore the loss of their family and themselves have been deprived by other members (Schwab). The emotional center of the family shifts gradually from the deceased to the survivors and its future through the process of mourning even though the thought of the deceased remains to be present psychologically and would serve as a support of the ongoing development of the family members (Schwab). As a result, acceptance ensue in the family members establishing their new identity as widows, widowers, parents of the bereaved, children who are fatherless and motherless, children who recently lost a sibling, and among others (Schwab). This would mean also that an adjustment required in identity changes include changes in social network status. The deceased member in the family will remain as a “ghost in the family” when mourning is bypassed that interferes with the development of the children as well as the developmental tasks of the adults including marriage, remarriage or parenting that places the member of the family at risk as a host for another problem unrelated to the experience of loss in the coming years such as physical or psychological dilemmas (Schwab). CONCLUSION Euthanasia is a broad term wherein to this date; its legalities remain to be a controversial issue in the medical arena. Legalizing its practice has been the source of extreme debates that led to malpractices and revocation of license among physicians, whose primary oath and duty is not to assist suicide and mercy killing among patients but rather, to save lives. On the other hand, the autonomy of the patient for his own life is another area that has to be considered and the right of the family to respect the decision of their loved one has brought not only emotional trauma but spiritual and financial disturbance as well. Advocating euthanasia becomes a hidden concept and practice among countries that legalizes euthanasia. However, provision of a loving and competent care of the dying in an institution called Hospice specializing in compassionate and skilled care of the dying became a new concept that arose as an alternative to euthanasia. This started in the late 1960s (Goel 230 and Hermsen and Have 1). Through hospice care, the patient feels welcome and not a burden to his family and loved ones. Additionally, control of pain and symptoms are reduced and managed. Palliative care was developed with intent of developing ways to care for patients who are terminally ill. Its core values were emphasized in moral value and virtues of compassion, quality of life and hope. Since end of life issues became the agenda of debate in bioethics, the practice of palliative care was seen be associated in this specific moral end – life issues (Hermsen and Have 1). Hence, the cry for euthanasia has started to disappear slowly (Goel 230). Works Cited EMDR Therapist Network. “Normal Grief and Loss.” 13 Nov. 2011 Goel, Vaibhav. “Euthanasia - a dignified end of life.” International NGO Journal 3(12): 224-231. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. Hermsen, Maaike and Have, Henk. "­­­­ Euthanasia in Palliative Care Journals. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 23(6): 517 – 525. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Kaplan, Harold, Sadock, Benjamin, and Grebb, Jack. Synopsis of Psychiatry. 7th ed. Maryland: Williams & Wilkins, 1994. Print. Meier, D., Emmons, C., Wallenstein, S., Quill, T., Morrison, R., and Cassel, C. “ A National Survey of Physician Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the United States.” New England Journal of Medicine 338(17): 1193-201.Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Top of Form Bottom of Form Sandhyarani, Ningthoujam. “History of Euthanasia.” Buzzle.com Intelligent Life on the Web. 13 November 2011 Schwab, Reiko. “Grief” Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. Web. 15 Nov 2011. Swarte, Nikkie, van der lee, Marije, and van der Bom, Johanna. “Effects of Euthanasia on the Bereaved Family and Friends: A cross sectional study.” British Medical Journal. 327(7498): 189. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. Read More