euthanasia slide presentation
TRANSCRIPT
euthanasia
Contents• Definition of euthanasia• Types of euthanasia• Law on euthanasia
• Acceptance of euthanasia in Malaysia
• Islamic Perspective
INTRODUCTIONDEFINITION & TYPES
What is euthanasia ?εὐθανασία ( euthanatos )
εὐ/eu : good or wellΘανασία : death
Euthanasia or mercy killing is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering.
orAssisted suicide
Francis Bacon ( 17th Century ) – easy, painless and happy death
Types of euthanasia• Active – involve the use of
lethal substances or forces, such as administering a lethal
injection• Passive – involve the withholding or withdrawing
treatment that is necessary to maintain life.
Involuntary
Non -volunt
ary
Voluntary
World War II Germany• October, 1939- Adolf Hitler
enacted the Action T4 program.
• Euthanize incurably ill, physically or mentally disabled, emotionally
distraught, and elderly people.
• Gas chambers
• Starved to death
LAWSOF
EUTHANASIA
Canada
CanadaEuthanasia is not yet legal in
Canada but it will be by June 2016.
Netherlands
originally
Dutch law banned euthanasia
2002
Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act • Makes euthanasia and
assisted suicide legal under certain conditions
1973
Postma case• Postma’s wife, Truus, performed euthanasia on his mother by
injecting 200 mg morphine. • She had suffered a brain haemorrhage, was deaf, had difficulty
speaking, and had to be tied to her chair in her nursing home to avoid her falling. She repeatedly begged her daughter-in-law to end her life.
• Given symbolic punishment : one week suspended prison sentence and 12 months' probation
Dutch Voluntary Euthanasia Society was launched
Timeline….
Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act Euthanasia is included in the Criminal Code of a special ground for exemption from criminal liability : doctors who terminate life on request or assist in a patient’s suicide can no longer be prosecuted if they fulfil these conditions:
• Be satisfied that the patient’s request is voluntary and well-considered
• Be satisfied that the patient’s suffering is unbearable and that there is no prospect of improvement
• Inform the patient of his or her situation and further prognosis
• Discuss the situation with the patient and come to the joint conclusion that there is no other reasonable solution
• Consult at least one other physician with no connection to the case, who must then see the patient and state in writing that the attending physician has satisfied the due care criteria listed in the four points above
Gronigen Protocol• Text created in September 2004 by a
committee of physicians and others leading by Eduard Verhagen, the medical director of the Department of Pediatrics at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)• The protocol has been approved by the
Dutch National Association of Pediatricians.• It contains directives with criteria under
which physicians can perform "active ending of life on infants" (child euthanasia) without fear of legal prosecution
• In the Gronigen Protocol, the termination of a child's life (under age 12) is acceptable if these 4 requirements were properly fulfilled:
1. The presence of hopeless and unbearable suffering
2. The consent of the parents to termination of life
3. Medical consultation having taken place
4. Careful execution of the termination
Practice of Euthanasia in Netherlands
1st March 2012Netherlands Euthanasia Lobby (NVVE) launched six Mobile Euthanasia Teams as part of a euthanasia clinic to cause an estimated 1000 euthanasia deaths to people who were either turned down by their doctor, or who are disabled or frail elderly and lacking mobility.
Report from Dutch News on 24th September 2013, it is stated that there were 4188 reported requests for euthanasia in 2012 which is double the number in 2006
Australia
• Illegal in Australia
• Although the public supports legalizing Euthanasia , Australian governments continue to resist legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide.
• Opponents of legalization: “Once we take the significant step of allowing doctors to ‘kill’ patients in narrowly defined circumstances, there will be pressure to increase the range of circumstances with amending legislation. And it’s easier to amend existing legislation than enact it in the first place
• Proponents of legalization: Generally respond by claiming there is no evidence of either concern being realized in places where euthanasia is lawful
Who should have the access: should it be restricted to the
terminally ill?
Should it extend to people who have an unbearable physical
condition which does not make them
terminally ill?
Should it even extend to people
who aren’t physically ill at all,
but are experiencing unbearable mental
suffering?
North Territory• Euthanasia was legalized (Rights of the
Terminally III Act 1995)
• Passed by a vote of 15 to 10 but was defeated by 14 votes to 10 a year later in 1996
• Soon after, the law was voided by the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997
• However, before the Commonwealth government made this amendment, three people had already died through physician assisted suicide
Japan
• Known as anraku-shi, means “peaceful death
• No acts or official laws regarding the status of euthanasia based on Japanese Penal Code in The Constitution of Japan
• The Supreme Court has never ruled on the matter; two local court cases that happened back in 1962 and 1995 → frameworks and conditions for Japan’s euthanasia policy
• One can legally end patient’s life as long as the conditions are fulfilled
Passive Euthanasia
• The patient must be suffering from an incurable disease
• The patient must express consent to stop treatment (their consent may be determined from a pre-written document such as a living will or the testimony of the family)
• The patient may be passively euthanized by stopping medical treatment
Active Euthanasia
• The patient must be suffering from unbearable physical pain
• The patient must give consent (living wills and family consent will not suffice)
• The physician must have exhausted all other measures of pain relief
DEATH OF DIGNITY• Concept emerged in 1970s but become a hot
topic recently
• Increment in aging & childless Japanese society lead to the government starting to reflect on legalizing it; a practice meant to cut medical costs of patients in a vegetative state
• Defined as : The act of letting a terminally ill or a patient in a persistent vegetative state die by withdrawing life-sustaining treatment on request in the form of a living will
ACCEPTANCE OF EUTHANASIA AMONG
MALAYSIANS
Main purpose: To focus on public awareness and thoughts of euthanasia in Malaysia.
ACCEPTANCE OF EUTHANASIA AMONG MALAYSIANS
Have you ever heard of euthanasia?
Yes No
77.7% (69)
22.3% (21) o 90 responses had been
submitted o Age 19-60 years oldo Mostly students, some are
teachers, engineers and doctors.
ACCEPTANCE OF EUTHANASIA AMONG MALAYSIANS
HOW MUCH DO YOU AGREE ON EUTHANASIA BEING CARRIED OUT IN MALAYSIA? Arguments for euthanasia
o help relieving pain o low chances to liveo save cost, time and
energy of doctors
Arguments against euthanasiao Religious factoro Equals to suicide and
murdero Against ethics
EUTHANASIA BASED ON
ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES
EUTHANASIA AND SUICIDE IN ISLAM
Muslims are against euthanasia. They believe that all human life is sacred/pure because it is given by Allah and Allah chooses how long each person will live. Human beings should not interfere in this.
Surah Al-Isra’
Surah Ali Imran
Surah An-Nahl
EUTHANASIA IN ISLAM
However, the Islamic Code of Medical Ethics states "it is futile to diligently keep the patient in a vegetative state by heroic means…It is the process of life that the doctor aims to maintain and not the process of dying".
CONCLUSION
Suffering and pain are parts of our life. The lesson in endurance when patient was in pain is to be thankful in times of health and patient in times of sickness.