This State of Affairs Cannot Be Allowed to Continue

The right to be allowed to die.

Commenting on the California case of Elizabeth Bouvia, a quadreplegic who requested hospital assistance to alleviate suffering while she starved herself to death, Brahams expresses the hope that no patient in the United Kingdom will ever be forcibly fed against his or her wishes. Since passage of Britain's Suicide Act of 1961, taking one's own life is not a crime, although aiding a suicide is ...

Should the patient be allowed to die?

In considering the patient's right to a certain quality of dying, this essay outlines how the legal and ethical justifications for passive euthanasia depend on the doctrine of acts and omissions. It is suggested that this doctrine is untenable and that alternative justifications are needed. The development of the modern mechanistic approach to death is traced, showing that a possible basis for ...

This number will be updated

Contaminants in heparins continue to be unfolded.

September 4, 2008; 1:00 p.m. (EST): Earlier this year several batches of heparins were initially recalled due to the increased prevalence of adverse reactions and deaths. Initially the US FDA recalled specific batches of heparin resulting in a total recall of Baxter’s unfractionated heparin. Since then Baxter has not reintroduced this product despite the fact that it had 50% of the total market...

Are we allowed to discontinue medical treatment in this child?

One of the most difficult ethical dilemmas in pediatrics today arises when a child has complex chronic conditions that are not curable and cause discomfort with no prospect of any improvement on quality of life. In the context of medical futility, it is harmful to prolong medical treatment. The question is: How can medical treatment be discontinued when the child is not dependent on mechanical ...