Active euthanasia--time for a decision.
There has been renewed interest in the moral arguments surrounding euthanasia. Some patients are now apprehensive of advanced medical technology which they fear may result in a prolonged and undignified death. In the current situation of scarce resources for health care, both patients and doctors could be coerced into considering active euthanasia if it was legally available. In this paper it is argued that doctors now need to make a clear statement rejecting active euthanasia but affirming that in certain cases passive euthanasia, or letting die, may be morally justifiable.
Jeffrey
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St. Richard's Hospice, Rosehill, Worcester.
D003657:Decision Making; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005065:Euthanasia; D028601:Euthanasia, Active; D033101:Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary; D005066:Euthanasia, Passive; D006801:Humans; D016224:Living Wills; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012297:Right to Die; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D017236:Suicide, Assisted; D006113:United Kingdom; D035761:Wedge Argument