tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214412597548183258.post6698052424028815493..comments2023-10-01T02:37:52.666-07:00Comments on Ethical Exploration: Assisted Dying.Eyehearerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16520794056580650401noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214412597548183258.post-57976559350119575222010-03-10T10:07:06.300-08:002010-03-10T10:07:06.300-08:00In response to your being unconvinced about my arg...In response to your being unconvinced about my argument in favour of assisted dying becoming legal in the U.K, I would draw you towards what we tend to do, as human beings, when we care for someone else:<br />The medical profession is a prescriptive body of people recommending what their patients should do to get well or ameliorate their conditions. By the nature of a practice based upon superior advice, they expect us to follow what they direct us to do. When faced with patients who are terminally ill they are powerless to cure and are only able to offer palliative treatment, this puts them in a position of guilt.This guilt is alleviated by them clutching at their default position of assuming that it is their duty to make decisions FOR their patient and leads to the presentation that "I care about you as my patient, therefore I will decide that you cannot choose that you want to end your life".<br /><br />There are no examples necessary here...We are talking about very basic emotions. Most people will feel guilt when they cannot help someone with terminal illness and just about everyone will do something to compensate for this. A doctor will seek refuge in his caring role, and in this situation doctors find it very difficult to care for a patient to the exclusion of their own ego.<br /><br />Now, your point (2) voicing concern about the possibility of "homicide" : I think this concern, as voiced by opponents of assisted dying, is also about the possibility of wishing to die as a self sacrifice. So, encompassing all these concerns, a patient`s wish to die at a time of their choosing would have to be safeguarded by perhaps a medical and legal panel. I have to say though, that scare-mongering a scenario where patients die under dubious or mistaken circumstances is virtually the sole weapon of the anti camp who don`t seem to want to think any further than this, lest they lose position. I happen to believe that cutting the thinking process at this point, when you think your big drama wins the argument, is really a sign that any further thought and you`d lose the debate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />Thanks very much for your probing comments !Eyehearerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16520794056580650401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214412597548183258.post-40658383282260253462010-03-09T11:04:32.837-08:002010-03-09T11:04:32.837-08:00well spoken. While I haven't been following th...well spoken. While I haven't been following the debate in the UK, I will take your word about how it is unfolding there. <br /><br />I am not sure that I agree about the way you describe the mindset of the health care professionals and how preventing assisted dying is in some way assuaging their guilt by putting them in control of the patient and denying the patient rights. That may be true in some cases but I don't know how you would know it for all (or even most) cases. <br /><br />Bear in mind that: 1)Doctors and nurses are taught that they must do everything to keep patients alive. That is their prime duty. I think it is reasonable to think that the vast majority of them carry that out as best they can believing they are doing the best thing for the patient (even if you may argue that they haven't thought this through in the case where the patient wants to die). 2) I think there is a reasonable fear that relaxing the laws about assisted dying may lead to actual homicide. You might argue that safeguards could be put into place to prevent that, and you may be right, but I think that fear of the 'slippery slope' to forced euthanasia is not unreasonable and must be addressed by advocates of assisted dying. <br /><br />In short, while your analysis may be correct in some instances, your argument would be far stronger if you could bring actual evidence and not just speculation as to the psychology of those involved. I hope you can expand on this in future posts.Shelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02511343642691365840noreply@blogger.com