- Written By: Lori Smith
- Edited By: Michelle Arevalo
- Last Modified Date: 26 April 2012
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2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation
Mercy killing, also known as euthanasia or assisted-suicide, is an act of homicide that is usually carried out to end the life of a person who is suffering from extreme, incurable pain or illness. An individual who is tormented by a terminal illness may wish to end his or her own life, but not have the ability to do it. In a case like this, he or she may request assistance from another person. This is illegal in most, but not all, areas of the world. Some locales allow it, as long as strict guidelines are followed and the procedure is conducted by a medical professional, at the request of the patient.
In the U.S., physician-assisted suicide is legal in just two states — Oregon and Washington. Other countries, such as Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg have also established provisions for lawful mercy killing. Strict rules apply to the practice in areas where the law permits voluntary assisted-suicide.
The regulations that govern the act allow medical professionals to end the suffering of patients who willingly elect to end their lives with the aid of a physician. Terminally ill people whose physical condition creates extreme pain may request assistance. In areas where physician-assisted suicide is allowed, it is generally not legal for anyone other than a doctor to aid in the death of another, however.
Mercy killing and physician-assisted suicide is a controversial topic in society and among medical professionals in general. Some doctors feel that the practice of assisted suicide goes against the profession's do no harm doctrine. Conversely, others argue that prolonging the life of someone who wishes to die is a cruel infringement on human rights.
One of the most well-known physician-assisted suicide activists is American pathologist Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Reported to have illegally assisted in the death of more than 100 patients in the United States, he was convicted of second-degree murder in the late 1990s. In 2007, he was released from prison. Since then, Dr. Kevorkian has appeared at various universities and on TV talk shows to promote his belief and theories about a patient’s right to die.
While it is most common way, not all mercy killing is done with the assistance of a medical doctor. Even though it is a criminal act, there are several reported cases where a family member or other non-medical personnel ends the life of another, usually at the request of the ill person. In some cases, this is done by removing or disconnecting a life-sustaining device. Other times, the act is committed by administering a fatal overdose of medication. If convicted, the person who illegally performs the mercy killing may be sent to prison.
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turquoise
Post 4 |
I recently read an article about a case in India where the government dismissed a plea for mercy killing of a patient in a vegetative state. The article also talked about the difference between active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is said to be a deliberate action by doctors that results in the death of a patient. Passive euthanasia is when medical staff withhold treatment that results in the patient's death.
I think there are also debates about whether one of these is more moral than the other. To me, it sounds like the same thing. Whether the doctors do something or not, the patient dies regardless.
I think what is more important for patients in a vegetative state, is that the decision to let the patient live or die be given by people who have the right to decide.
In the Indian example, the plea for euthanasia was made by a friend of the patient who rarely visited her. She is clearly not the right person to decide the fate of the patient. The nurses and doctors at the hospital, on the other hand, had been taking care of the patient for many years. So when they argued that the patient be allowed to live, the government listened to them and passed a decision according to that.
I think this is a great example. For a patient who cannot communicate their wishes, you have to ask people who really care for them, know them and what they would want in that situation. Otherwise, mercy killing can become murder. |
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ysmina
Post 3 |
I think that state and federal governments need to be very careful with the mercy killing debate because it is a very sensitive subject.
I personally feel that an individual who is dependent on machines and has a very low quality of life and intense pain due to an illness should be given the freedom to choose what they do with their life. To prevent them from doing so would be an infringement on their liberties in my view.
I am concerned about mercy killing assisted by medical professionals however. The main reason is that I think that if mercy killing became widely accepted and legal in more states, hospitals may promote the practice to contain financial costs. The medical attention required for some patients can be very costly and hospitals may start looking at this as a cost benefit situation. As horrible as that sounds, I am afraid of it happening. |
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burcinc
Post 2 |
From a religious point of view, I believe that mercy killing is against one of the core beliefs of most religions- taking the life of another or yourself. Whether a patient desires to die or not, I don't think that he should be allowed to. I realize that such patients are suffering from very serious and incurable illness and experience a lot of pain. I absolutely have empathy towards what they are experiencing, but I also cannot help but think that this is a test for them by God, a very difficult and perhaps almost unbearable test, but still a test nonetheless.
So for me, a mercy killing is no different than suicide or murder. But I would like to hear more about proponents of mercy killing and how they justify it in their minds. So please share them. |
