Euthanasia in the UK

Introduction

People admit that they are afraid of dying even though they don’t show it. It’s natural in the nature of the life cycle. Different religious teachings and philosophical views about the life and death tells the people that life is something that that everyone should enjoy. And as the dawn breaks everybody should face the end and believe that there is another beginning.

Background and Problem Statement

If a person is facing so much misery in his or her life, they sometimes turn to end it up through the use of suicide. In hospitals, the euthanasia or mercy killing is the term applied to the actions of the doctors and other health care providers in the request of the patients and/or relatives to end a life. In another view this is also similar in the suicidal action the only difference is that the action is provocative on both sides of the patient and his relatives and the professionalism and taken oath of the doctors to save lives. Although with the appropriate supervision and allowed by the patient, is the euthanasia is possible in UK?

Research Objectives

The study is carefully detailing the different views and approaches on the issue of euthanasia. The first objective of the study is to determine if there is an existing practice of euthanasia in UK. The second objective, which is also in relation to the first objective, is to determine the different responses of the doctors and patients in the motion for legalizing the euthanasia in the country.

Research Questions

Several questions are prepared in the study to help the proposal meet its objectives regarding the euthanasia. This case sensitive topic deserves the appropriate attention and the guidance of the questions are really needed.

1. Why do terminally ill patients request euthanasia?

2. What is the response of doctors to euthanasia?

3. Should euthanasia be legalized in the UK?

Literature Review

Based on the reviewed materials, the patients that suffer in the mental illness, depression, and the motor neurone disease are the common patients that subject of euthanasia. The motor neurone disease is a condition which destroys the nerves that enable the people to control their movements while leaving their intellect and senses generally unaffected (Scripture Union, 2006). Most of the patients have fears in death but the difficulty in eating and even breathing making their situation worse. They suffer everyday inside the four corners of the hospital room and sometimes with the support for ventilation to keep them alive. On the corner of their head, the patients are aware that soon, the death will come and claim what they own. Therefore, the patients turn in euthanasia to end their life sooner than expected since there is no hope in their hearts. In addition, the financial status of the patient can be a negative factor that pushes the patients to face the death (van der Lee, et al., 2005). In this perspective of the patients and the losing hope of the relatives contributes to the actions of the doctors in shortening the life of the patients. The conspiracy of the patient and doctor or sometimes the relatives and the doctor is well planned but can deliberately plays between the different reasons that push these people to act in mercy killing. The Rights of the Terminally Ill Act of 1995 or ROTI supports the agreed boundaries in the succession of the euthanasia and assisted suicide. To terminate the life is conditional and upon the decision that is made freely, voluntarily, and after the consideration by a terminally ill patient who is experiencing severe pain or suffering but is not suffering in any treatable clinical depression is the content of the Act (University of Western Sydney, 2008).

Methodology

The proposed method in the study is the use of the comparative case study. This method is applicable and advisable to determine the various cases that describe the different situations and actions of the doctors as well as the patient in the issue of euthanasia. Through use of the method, the different views and arguments can build a sound analysis pertaining to the euthanasia. Moreover, the method gives the study an advantage to discover the different gaps in literature and the room for possibility or banning in UK.

Conclusion

The law of men declares that everyone has a right to create their own decisions and the right to live. But the right to die is an emerging question which is literally not emphasized in the code of human rights. Most of the international law allows the euthanasia such as turning the ventilation off as it was considered to be medical treatment and the patient, who is apparently requested for the immediate death, is aware and in the state of the “sound mind”. Therefore, the decisions of the doctors and the relatives to end the life of the patient is called euthanasia but the refusing to have treatment coming form the patient is a different issue to actively causing death. If one country attempts to apply the euthanasia in their medical practice, the application of the sound act should set in a number of safeguards that seeks to control the practice of assisted death.

References:

Scripture Union 2006, EUTHANASIA Case Studies [Online] Available at: http://www.scriptureunion.org.uk/Uploads/Documents/Euthanasia-Worksheet1.pdf [Accessed 03 March 2010].

University of Western Sydney 2008, Inquiry into the Rights of the Terminally Ill (Euthanasia Laws Repeal) Bill [Online] Available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/terminally_ill/submisssions/sub398.pdf [Accessed 03 March 2010].

van der Lee, M., van der Bom, J., Swarte, N., Heintz, A., de Graeff, A., & van den Bout, J., 2005. Euthanasia and Depression: A Prospective Cohort Study Among Terminally Ill Cancer Patients, Journal of Clinical Oncology Vol. 23, No. 27 [Online] Available at: http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/reprint/23/27/6607.pdf [Accessed 03 March 2010].