In several US states, the legalisation of euthanasia has become a question for voters to decide in public referenda. This democratic approach in politics is consistent with notions of personal autonomy in medicine, but the right of choice does not mean all choices are morally equal. A presumption against the taking of human life is embedded in the formative moral traditions of society; human li...

It is widely accepted in clinical ethics that removing a patient from a ventilator at the patient's request is ethically permissible. This constitutes voluntary passive euthanasia. However, voluntary active euthanasia, such as giving a patient a lethal overdose with the intention of ending that patient's life, is ethically proscribed, as is assisted suicide, such as providing a patient with let...

“Hallervorden-Spatz disease” represents a distinctive and readily recognizable eponym to neurologists and pediatricians; it denotes a rare, inherited, autosomal recessive disorder tha t is perhaps a neuraxonal dystrophy, characterized by the childhood onset of unrelenting progressive gait disturbance, spasticity, and dementia associated with prominent extrapyramidal signs such as dystonia, chor...

A study of 78 parents of Down's syndrome children shows that, while most were in favour of abortion for a handicapped fetus, they were divided equally on whether euthanasia (no distinction made between active and passive euthanasia) was an acceptable practice. Only a third considered an average Down's syndrome child could be a suitable candidate for euthanasia. While parents argued that the deg...

In considering physician-assisted suicide, the real challenge lies in understanding the nature of culture itself. Missing from the debate is a discussion of the social consequences of hidden expectations and obligations with respect to access to health care, allocation of resources, terminal and chronic illness, disability, difference, suffering, and the nature of death itself. Part I explores ...

BACKGROUND In recent decades, the general public has become increasingly receptive toward a legislation that allows active voluntary euthanasia (AVE). The purpose of this study was to survey the current attitude towards AVE within the Austrian population and to identify explanatory factors in the areas of socio-demographics, personal experiences with care, and ideological orientation. A further...

Orthodox Christian ethics is grounded in the sacredness of life principle. Yet, it can accept a quality of life approach where "quality" refers not to capacities or states, but to the relationship between the patient's condition and the quest for transcendent life goals (Walter and Shannon, 1990). The true quality of human life derives from the vocation to stewardship, which enjoins an attitude...

In general, legal responses to end-of-life issues are not very different in Switzerland than in most European countries. For instance, active euthanasia (i.e. killing on request) is illegal, although it is treated as a lesser offense than murder or manslaughter. Article 114 of the Swiss Penal Code reads, “Every person who, for honorable reasons, especially mercy, kills another person on his or ...

Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are distinguished and discussed in the context of the counselor's role in helping terminal clients. An aging population coupled with the proposed legislation in many states to legalize physicianassisted suicide could mean these issues will become more paramount to the counseling profession. Potential ethical dilemmas are discussed using the biopsychosoc...

Competent terminally ill persons have a right to choose the time and manner of their death. This choice is protected by the constitutional right to privacy. This Note contends that the protection afforded by the right to privacy extends to individuals whose assistance is necessary to help competent terminal patients end their lives. It proposes guidelines for both prosecutors and courts to ensu...