The Ethics of Ending Life: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide.

[ashwin_ash]

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Dear Sir,

I agree with what you wrote..actually its very easy for some to think that it puts and end to suffering but what about the people who have to help out in Euthanasia?? Can they face the fact that they took a human life??

The other day I accidentally stepped on a garden snail that was so happened near my car..I did not see the snail and it died..its shell smashed..the whole day I felt so bad that I accidentally killed a snail..it really feels bad to take a life no matter how small.

As a child aged 6.. I remember we had a dog called Flicker..he was extremely possessive and protective of me..he used to stand guard whenever I went out to play until he become too fierce and never let any kid come near me...he used to chase away every kid and that made some kid fall and injure himself and the neighbours were blaming that we have a very evil dog!

As time went on he become over protective of me and started biting anyone who came near me..even my relatives could not come near me if my dog was there....so my parents took him to the vet and the vet recommended to put him down.

Those days no vet recommended behavioral therapy like Cesar Milan of Dog Whisperer fame..every vet recommended just putting down such fierce and dangerous to others dogs.

Till today my father says that he could see in my dogs eyes as if he was asking 'what wrong did i do?" just before my dog was put down.

So whatever said and done to actually take any life is not an easy thing to live with.

Dear Doctor,

I do agree with what you say, taking a life is painful for everyone involved. Here, when a prisoner is given the death penalty via lethal injection, 2 (3 in some states) people press the buttons to release the lethal cocktail simultaneously. This way, each person thinks the other is guilty. And no doctor has any truck with the death penalty, it violates the Hippocratic oath.

But playing the devil's advocate, should a serial murderer suffering from the terminal stages of say cancer or XDR TB, be allowed to opt for PAS, or be allowed to die naturally as retribution?

 

[krish44]

Why? This does not make logical sense. If you hold to this view there are many things you have to give up, not the least of which are antibiotics.


It is obvious that you have the right to say no to PAS, but by the same token, you have no right to say PAS must be banned for everyone because you don't like it.

PAS is not equivalent to putting down aggressive dogs, this is just a straw man.

sorry, I could not understand the linkage between PAS and antibiotics. your reasoning based on logic not understood . pl elaborate
ultimately it boils down to individual opinion and choice for PAS.
when one tries to see which segment of population requires PAS,not the poor who have no access to costly antibiotics or hospitalisation facilities. It is a choice that can be exercised by the affluent for their relations. my fear is it might be misused to dispose of the old and infirm thru this means under this fashionable heading. It is essentially elitist concept practised in the west. It may not be ok for india where there is rampant misuse of any facility.
PAS may not be putting down agressive dogs but definitely docile infirm patients who cannot protest

 

[renuka]

But playing the devil's advocate, should a serial murderer suffering from the terminal stages of say cancer or XDR TB, be allowed to opt for PAS, or be allowed to die naturally as retribution?

Dear Ash,

All I can say is he needs to be given treatment till his last breath.

A few years ago..I think some 6 years ago there was shoot out at the mall I was shopping in and a security guard was shot dead by robbers and one robber was shot dead by another security guard.

I happen to be there and there was also another doctor at the mall..so since there were 2 people lying dead..we both tried to resuscitate them..I took the robber and the other doc took the security guard but we could not revive any one of them.

You see at that time we only looked at both as people who need medical attention..it did not matter who was the robber or who was the security guard.

A doc has to be impartial and not try to play moral police when it comes to treatment.

So if you ask me..serial killer or not... anyone who is ill needs treatment.

 

[krish44]

There was a hindi film by gulzar where a murder convict needing treatment after shoot out while escaping is saved by doctors in hospital putting great effort. However on recovery police take him from hospital to face justice and gallows