morality and medicine Flashcards
Euthanasia
painless killing to relieve dreadful suffering from an incurable illness
Voluntary euthanasia
when the person asks for their life to be ended
non-voluntary euthanasia
when a person is unable to make about their condition
the decision is made for them by an appropriate person (relative or doctor)
passive euthanasia
something that would keep a person alive is taken away eventually bringing about their death
e.g. medication, oxygen
active euthanasia
when a person directly or deliberately causes someone’s death
indirected euthanasia
action taken by medical staff to relieve patients pain.
however as a side effect patient dies quicker
assisted suicide
when someone deliberately assists or encourages a patient to end his or her life
the only difference between assisted suicide and euthanasia is that assisted suicide involves the doctor giving the means to end their own life- they kill themselves
sanity of life
means that life is valuable and so shouldn’t be ended early
many christians believe in this
palliative care
active holistic care of patients with advanced progressive/terminal illness, they also support friends or family.
hospice is a specialised place which provides palliative care
living will
semi-legal document which a person who can demonstrate mental competence records his or her wishes regarding treatment in the case of a life-ending illness
BMA guidelines
guidelines published to help, advise and protect doctors dealing with complex issues such as euthanasia
the guidelines help ensure there’s consistency in decision making and to help reassure the patients and their families that care has been properly thought out
moral dilemmas raised by euthanasia
- is it ever right to end the life of a terminally ill patient who is undergoing severe pain and suffering?
- under what circumstances, if any, can euthanasia be justible?
- is there a moral difference between killing and letting them die?
- who has the right to decide about life and death?
- what would be the consequences if euthanasia was legalised?
Christian arguments against euthanasia
some christian believe in the sanity of life and so see euthanasia as a violation of the law of God
some believe that God gives life and has a plan for all of us and so only he can take it away
some believe christ suffered and through his suffering saved mankind form sin and so can bring a person closer to God
some churches see no difference between murder and euthanasia
Islamic view on euthanasia
expressly forbidden by Allah, as he decides when life should be ended
some muslims believe Allah makes all decisions and to decide in euthanasia is to remove a decision from allah
qur’an expressly forbids taking life or quickening death
Humanist view on euthanasia
some believe euthanasia should be legalised for the terminally ill as each person should have the right to make decisions about their own life, including their own death
also believe that no one should be put in the position of having to watch a loved one suffer before death and legalisation would allow for a compassionate, humane choice to the terminally ill
Arguments for euthanasia
- all human have the right to choose and control their own life, even death
- allows someone to die with dignity and not suffer
- relieves the burden
- people don’t want to live a life without quality
- the money saved if euthanasia was legalised could be put toward care for those who have a chance of survival
Arguments against euthanasia
- why is it wrong to kill others but acceptable to kill ourselves
- how do we know the person fully understands what euthanasia is
- no person should be viewed as a burden on society, if proper care is given the person won’t feel like a burden
Bodily Autonomy
the principal that means that your body is yours, and you have control over it and the right to not have others harm your body
IVF
in-vitro-fertilisation
a process where eggs are fertilised outside the body and are then implanted back into the body in the hope that they will lead to a successful pregnancy
fertility treatment
medical assistance which helps people to have babies when they aren’t able to conceive in the natural or conventional way
infertility
an inability to conceive a child
the human fertilisation and embryology authority
closely regulates the use of sperm and ova for research or infertility treatment
embryology
use of human embryos in scientific research to learn more about the human body and to find cures to major illnesses
Therapeutic cloning
creating an embryo which is a clone of an ill persons and then taking stem cells from it to grow new organs
cloning
involves extracting the nucleus from the living person and inserting it into the cell of another living person. This produces an exact replica of the living person
genetic engineering
the manipulation of genes- inc moving genes from one organism to another- to produce an organism with more useful features
stem cells
cells from young human embryos which haven’t yet become the specialised cells that form body parts
negative eugenics
the elimination of painful conditions and disabilities
positive eugenics
adding desirable features to a foetus to improve the body’s physical intellectual and creative ability
PGD
pre-implanted genetic diagnosis
the process by which an embryo is tested for the presence or lack of genes that would lead to a particular disease
saviour sibling
a child that is conceived through IVF in order to provide an organ or cell transplant to an older sibling
Informed consent
Opt-in system
(organ donation)
currently the system in the UK (exception of Wales)
people over the age of 12 can sign up to the organ donation register
