Euthanasia Simulation

PART 1

Euthanasia, which leads a patient to death in order to escape unbearable pain, has been around since the time of ancient Greece. The English word "euthanasia" was drawn from Greek (eu for good or noble and thanatos for death) and literally means "the good death".

Euthanasia, whereby a physician shortens the life of the patient, has attracted a great deal of controversy because it goes against the fundamental principles of medical ethics for physicians. The Oath of Hippocrates prohibits physicians from prescribing lethal drugs to a patient for any reason.

A concise definition of euthanasia does not exist, though acts of euthanasia have been variously categorized. To illustrate, passive euthanasia allows a patient to die naturally by withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. Active euthanasia ends a patient's life by directly administering a lethal drug to the patient. In the case of physician-assisted suicide, the patient ingests a lethal substance prescribed by a physician.

As of April 1998, the Netherlands and Oregon, in the United States, are the only places where euthanasia can be carried out by prescribing lethal drugs to a patient. In both countries, the most important requirement for euthanasia to be acceptable is a patient's persistent, voluntary, and contemplated request. Any violation of this requirement is regarded as a felony. There are also specific diagnostic requirements of the patient's condition that must be met before euthanasia can be carried out. A patient must undergo intolerable suffering. The attending physician must then consult and be in agreement with at least one other colleague.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken a stand against euthanasia. WHO argues that a patient can be released from pain in more than 90 per cent of the cases if palliative care using morphine or other drugs is sufficiently administered. The World Medical Association stated in its Declaration of Lisbon, adopted in 1981, "The patient has the

right to die in dignity." It has not acknowledged physician-assisted suicide and active euthanasia. Conversely, there is a popular movement to get euthanasia accepted because many see modern life-sustaining technology as only prolonging the suffering of the terminally ill.