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a. |
Permitting VAE would have bad consequences
if physicians were responsible for performing euthanasia, since |
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1 |
VAE is incompatible with a physician's moral
and professional commitment as a healer to care for patients and to
protect life. |
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Response: |
Physician's first commitment should be to the patients'
right of self-determination and the promotion of their well-being. |
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2 |
It would lead patients to fear that a
medication was intended not to treat or care, but to kill, and so would
cause patients to lose trust in their physicians. |
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Response: |
Restriction of VAE to cases where it is truly voluntary
is assumed. |
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b. |
Permitting VAE would weaken society's
commitment to provide optimal care for dying patients, since euthanasia
would be seen as a cheaper alternative to care and treatment. |
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Response: |
No evidence shows that recognizing a
patient's right to forgo life-sustaining treatment has caused an erosion
in the quality of care for dying patients. |
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Response: |
VAE is used only 2% of the time in the
Netherlands. |
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c. |
Permitting VAE would deny patients the
alternative of staying alive by default and put them under a
psychological burden to justify staying alive. |
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Response: |
Polls show most Americans would prefer
having the choice. |
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Response: |
If the option of VAE makes people worse off,
then we should take back the right to refuse life-saving treatment. |
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d. |
Permitting VAE would weaken the prohibition
on homicide. |
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Response: |
In nearly all states suicide and attempted
suicide are no longer considered a criminal offense, hence there has
been an acceptance of individual self-determination. But this does not
imply that homicide is suddenly as accepted. |
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e. |
Permitting VAE would lead, by a slippery
slope argument, to the acceptance of non-voluntary active euthanasia. |
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Response: |
Abuses of laws permitting VAE would be
mitigated by careful regulation. For example, |
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- Patients must be fully informed about prognosis, alternative
treatments, etc.
- Patient's request for VAE must be stable and enduring.
- All reasonable alternatives to improve the patient's quality of
life and to relieve suffering must be explored.
- The patient's request must not be the result of depression.
- Physicians should be involved in the development of procedural
safeguards.
- The practice of VAE should be restricted to physicians--i.e.,
persons in authority--for reasons of accountability.
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