Ethical and practical principles underlying the end of life decisions.
"I will not relinquish old age, if it leaves my better part intact. But, if it begins to shake my mind, if it destroys its faculties one by one, if it leaves me not life but breath, I will depart from the putrid or tottering edifice. If I must suffer without hope or relief, I will depart, not through fear of the pain itself, but because it prevents all for which I would live." Seneca, the great Roman statesman of 1st century AD, spoke these words 2 millennia before the Netherlands became, on November 28, 2000, the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia. The decisions pertaining to end of life, whether legalized or otherwise, are practiced in many parts of the world but not reported on account of legal implications. Lack of awareness regarding the distinction between different procedures on account of legal status granted to them in some countries is the other area of concern. Debate among the medical practitioners, lawmakers, and the public taking into consideration the cultural, social, and religious ethos will lead to increased awareness, more safeguards, and improvement of medical decisions concerning the end of life.
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, 160030 India. drbrsharma@yahoo.com
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D003657:Decision Making; D005065:Euthanasia / Q000941:ethics*; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000941:ethics; D006801:Humans; D010819:Physician's Role; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000941:ethics*; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000941:ethics*