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Euthanasia and Doctor Assisted Suicide

Explore the emotional and ethical complexities of euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide. Discuss the technology, moral dilemmas, and the case of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Delve into the question of humanity and the controversy surrounding end-of-life choices.

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Euthanasia and Doctor Assisted Suicide

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  1. Euthanasia and Doctor Assisted Suicide “Mercy”? Killing

  2. What is Euthanasia and how is it performed? • “The act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition.” • There are 3 separate shots used in the following order with the following results: Sodium thiopental: ultra-short action barbiturate, an anesthetic agent capable of rendering the offender unconscious in a few seconds, Pancuronium: non-depolarizing muscle relaxant, causes complete, fast and sustained paralysis of the skeletal striated muscles, Potassium chloride: stops the heart, and thus causes death by cardiac arrest

  3. Issues with Euthanasia • It’s emotionally stressful for a family to make the conscious decision to end a life • Most people who took the survey felt that in any scenario, ending a life is morally “wrong” but there are circumstances (like someone being in a coma for several years) where it is justifiable to let someone die • “It was tough. But ultimately the safest, and kindest decision. We didn't want him to suffer through cancer, we preferred to have him put down while still somewhat happy”

  4. More Issues with Euthanasia • The technology and science behind this process allows for Doctor Assisted Suicide, in which patients consciously elect to die • Question of humanity • Do cases exist when it is justifiable to want to end your own life? • Most people who took the survey said that they could understand someone wanting to die if they were always depressed because of physical or emotional hardships such as cancer, loss of a limb, death of a loved one, or being paralyzed • Still, most people who took the survey felt that, despite these hardships it is ethically wrong to take your own life, and it is no more humane to have a doctor assist you

  5. Who Ya Gonna Call? • Dr. Jack Kevorkian (1928-2011) was Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the medical pathologist who willfully helped dozens of terminally ill people end their lives, becoming the central figure in a national drama surrounding assisted suicide • Conflict: Did he help them die with dignity? • “In quixotically trying to conquer death doctors all too frequently do no good for their patients’ “ease” but at the same time they do harm instead by prolonguing and even magnifying patients’ dis-ease.” ― Jack Kevorkian, Prescription: Medicide: The Goodness of Planned Death

  6. More Kevorkian • For instance: Kevorkian assisted Janet Adkins’ death in his van in rural Oakland County on June 4, 1990 • She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She knew what the progression of the disease would do to her • “This is something, pretty soon, it’s not going to be me anymore” • Mixed reactions: the patients and some of their families were grateful while many members of the public perceived physician assisted suicide as an insane practice

  7. Sources • "Coma Due to Cardiac Arrest: Prognosis and Contemporary Treatment - F1000Prime Medicine Reports - F1000." Coma Due to Cardiac Arrest: Prognosis and Contemporary Treatment - F1000Prime Medicine Reports - F1000. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013. • "Cirrhosis of the Liver Stages, Causes, Symptoms, Treatments." WebMD. WebMD, 28 Feb. 0000. Web. 10 June 2013. • "Top 10 Most Painful Medical Conditions." Health Fiend RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013. • "Doggy Diabetes- Canine Diabetes- Diabetes in Dogs: Treatment of Canine Diabetes." Doggy Diabetes- Canine Diabetes- Diabetes in Dogs: Treatment of Canine Diabetes. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013. • "Skin Disease, Autoimmune (Pemphigus) in Dogs." Pet Health & Nutrition Information & Questions. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013. • "Euthanasia." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 10 June 2013. • "What Chemicals Are Used in Lethal Injection?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d. Web. 10 June 2013. • "Jack Kevorkian Quotes." Jack Kevorkian Quotes (Author of Between the Dying and the Dead). N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013. • "Oregon." The Ian. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013.

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