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Healthcare Ethics: Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide
By (Student name)
Institutional Affiliation (School)
Course Title (Class)
Instructor (Tutor)
Date
, 2
Healthcare Ethics: Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide
Introduction
The debate around euthanasia has been around for several years, with no
conclusive/definitive solution as pertains its ethics being derived. Also called assisted suicide
or loosely as mercy killing, euthanasia refers to the deliberate action undertaken by a
professional medic to induce death to a consenting adult patient with the express intention of
relieving pain or intractable suffering (Chochinov, 2023). As Keown (2018) observes,
euthanasia can take two forms, namely passive and active euthanasia. Active euthanasia
involves the withholding of life-sustaining treatment to pave way for death, while active
euthanasia involves the introduction of lethal substances meant to slowly kill the patient. The
prevalence of euthanasia has increased over time, with increase in countries legalizing this
method. In 2002, the rates of rates of deaths by euthanasia was averaged at 2%, rising to 4%
in 2019 in countries where assisted suicide has been legalized (Mroz et al., 2021). A study by
Buchholz (2022) has shown that rates of euthanasia have soared since 2018 to 2021, where
the number rose from 850 to 1300. In Canada, the rates rose from 4480 to 10064 between
2018 and 2021, while in the Netherlands, deaths by euthanasia rose from 6126 in 2018 to
7666 in 2021.
Problem
Despite the legalization of euthanasia, and the rise in endorsement of the practice across
many countries around the globe, literature has shown that assisted suicide remains a
contentious issue, with different groups. Among countries where Euthanasia is legalized
include Canada, the US, Netherlands and Belgium, among several others, while it’s not in
Peru and Portugal (Keown, 2018). Even in countries that legalize euthanasia, the practice has
witnessed opposition from bodies or agencies, especially advocates of conservative practices
that regard life as sacred. Euthanasia in many countries requires the authorization of the sole
patient. However, in some countries like Canada and the US, a legal surrogate (particularly a
close family) to the patient (who is in agonizing pain and in a vegetative state, and especially
in their end of life care) may sign consent on behalf of the patient to help ease the pain
(Goligher et al. 2019).
Objectives of the study
Healthcare Ethics: Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide
By (Student name)
Institutional Affiliation (School)
Course Title (Class)
Instructor (Tutor)
Date
, 2
Healthcare Ethics: Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide
Introduction
The debate around euthanasia has been around for several years, with no
conclusive/definitive solution as pertains its ethics being derived. Also called assisted suicide
or loosely as mercy killing, euthanasia refers to the deliberate action undertaken by a
professional medic to induce death to a consenting adult patient with the express intention of
relieving pain or intractable suffering (Chochinov, 2023). As Keown (2018) observes,
euthanasia can take two forms, namely passive and active euthanasia. Active euthanasia
involves the withholding of life-sustaining treatment to pave way for death, while active
euthanasia involves the introduction of lethal substances meant to slowly kill the patient. The
prevalence of euthanasia has increased over time, with increase in countries legalizing this
method. In 2002, the rates of rates of deaths by euthanasia was averaged at 2%, rising to 4%
in 2019 in countries where assisted suicide has been legalized (Mroz et al., 2021). A study by
Buchholz (2022) has shown that rates of euthanasia have soared since 2018 to 2021, where
the number rose from 850 to 1300. In Canada, the rates rose from 4480 to 10064 between
2018 and 2021, while in the Netherlands, deaths by euthanasia rose from 6126 in 2018 to
7666 in 2021.
Problem
Despite the legalization of euthanasia, and the rise in endorsement of the practice across
many countries around the globe, literature has shown that assisted suicide remains a
contentious issue, with different groups. Among countries where Euthanasia is legalized
include Canada, the US, Netherlands and Belgium, among several others, while it’s not in
Peru and Portugal (Keown, 2018). Even in countries that legalize euthanasia, the practice has
witnessed opposition from bodies or agencies, especially advocates of conservative practices
that regard life as sacred. Euthanasia in many countries requires the authorization of the sole
patient. However, in some countries like Canada and the US, a legal surrogate (particularly a
close family) to the patient (who is in agonizing pain and in a vegetative state, and especially
in their end of life care) may sign consent on behalf of the patient to help ease the pain
(Goligher et al. 2019).
Objectives of the study
