A Dutch report on the ethics of neonatal care: a commentary.
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The moral arguments and the decision-making processes arising from them in the context of the dilemmas that arise in considering the appropriateness and implementation of withholding or withdrawing treatment in certain neonates form the basis of this commentary. It is concluded that the differing opinions on management of these babies by individual paediatricians results from their differing moral outlooks rather than from any incoherence in the moral arguments set out in the Dutch report. (+info)
Potential interest of the elderly in active euthanasia.
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As part of a larger study, elderly applicants to institutions and elderly residents of the community were questioned on their potential interest in active euthanasia. Of these, 19 percent and 23 percent respectively said they would want a lethal injection. A further ten and nine percent respectively said they would want a lethal pill, if ever hopelessly ill. Most elderly community residents who would prefer to carry on as best as they could nevertheless thought that alternatives should be available to those wanting them. (+info)
Patients who want to die: a survey.
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Representative samples of Ontario physicians and nurses, plus first and fourth year medical and nursing students in Kingston, were surveyed concerning experiences with and attitudes toward patients who want to die.Many respondents had been asked by some hopelessly ill patients for help in hastening death. Over 25 percent had known at least one such patient commit suicide. Abstention from food and drink was a common method in such suicides, and was frequently thwarted by forced feeding.A majority of respondents were definitely in favor of legal and social changes to permit compliance with requests from hopelessly ill patients for no forced feeding when the patient stopped eating, and for withdrawal of life-supporting procedures, but a solid majority opposed changes to permit compliance with requests for lethal drugs. Student respondents were neither consistently more nor consistently less favorable toward these changes than practitioners. (+info)
Patients who want to die: a survey of 1000 adults.
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A representative sample of 1000 Ontario adults was surveyed by mail about: 1. their opinion on the desirability of legal and social changes to permit physicians to comply with requests by adult, hopelessly ill patients for measures to hasten their death, and 2. what they would prefer to do if ever faced with hopeless illness.A MAJORITY: a. favors changes to permit a doctor to carry out requests for withdrawing life-supporting equipment; b. favors rewording the law to clarify that it is legal for a doctor to carry out requests not to use forced feeding when patients refuse food; c. is against changes to permit a doctor to carry out requests for lethal drugs; d. feels that if faced with hopeless illness, they would choose to bring about their death, rather than carrying on as best as they could. (+info)
UK geriatricians' attitudes to active voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted death.
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AIM: To describe the views of British geriatricians on active voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted death. METHOD: Postal questionnaire to 742 consultant members of the British Geriatrics Society. RESULTS: 81% considered active voluntary euthanasia never to be justified ethically, although 23% supported legalization in some situations and 13% would be willing to administer active voluntary euthanasia in some situations. With regard to physician-assisted death, 68% opposed it on ethical grounds and 24% supported its legalization in some instances, with 12% stating they would be willing to provide such assistance in some situations. Free text comments frequently cited good palliative care as an important response to such issues in clinical practice. (+info)
Old age psychiatry and the law.
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BACKGROUND: Old age psychiatry is no less subject to increasing legal and quasilegal restraint than other branches of the profession, but the emphases are different. Two themes predominate: first, that of capacity or competence; and second, to what extent formal legal measures should be implemented in cases where incapacitated patients do not dissent from, as opposed to giving active consent to, admission to hospital or receiving treatment. AIMS: To discuss the issues of capacity or competence, especially in relation to recent legislation and judgements and to proposed legislation in England and Wales. METHOD: Selective review and discussion of recent case law and current and proposed statute law. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The Bournewood case threatened but ultimately failed to upset the status quo. However, the European Convention on Human Rights and the British Human Rights Act 1998 may yet do so. (+info)
Euthanasia revisited.
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Euthanasia is a debatable issue. It is illegal all over the world. The Netherlands is the only country where euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are openly practised since the physician performing these acts will not be prosecuted under certain circumstances. There were several court cases and court decisions that affected the development of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in individual countries. When a patient asked for euthanasia, it was very important to find out the underlying reasons and make all legal means available to relieve the pain and other distressing symptoms. (+info)