Do you think that legalizing euthanasia could create conflicts of interest for the patient/ or the doctor? Please explain
A woman was diagnosed with motor neuron disease 5 years ago. This is a condition that destroys motor nerves, making control of movement impossible, while the mind is virtually unaffected. People with motor neuron disease normally die within 4 years of diagnosis from suffocation due to the inability of the inspiratory muscles to contract. The woman’s condition has steadily declined. She is not expected to live through the month and is worried about the pain that she will face in her final hours. She asks her doctor to give her diamorphine for pain if she begins to suffocate or choke. This will lessen her pain, but it will also hasten her death. About a week later, she falls very ill, and is having trouble breathing.
Questions:
*Does she have a right to make this choice, especially in view of the fact that she will be dead in a short while (say six hours)? Please explain
*Is this choice an extension of her autonomy? Please explain
*Is the short amount of time she has to live ethically relevant? Please explain
*Is there an ethical difference between her dying in 6 hours and dying in a week? Please explain
*Is the right for a patient’s self-determination powerful enough to create obligations on the part of others to aid her so that she can exercise her rights? Please explain
* She clearly cannot kill herself. She can’t move, but should someone be FORCED to help her, or to find someone to help her? Please explain
*Should the money used to care for this woman be taken into account when she is being helped? Please explain
*Do you think that legalizing euthanasia could create conflicts of interest for the patient/ or the doctor? Please explain
*Will people feel that they need to end their lives earlier to save money? Please explain
