Assessing the Arguments for and against Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Part Two

Abstract

In Márquez's Of Love and Other Demons Abrenuncio the physician and the Marquis discuss the outbreak of rabies that is the centerpiece of the book, since the Marquis' daughter has been bitten by a rabid dog. Abrenuncio notes that the poor “had the courage to poison the food of their rabid kin in order to spare them of a ghastly death... People believe that we physicians do not know that such things occur... That is not true, but we lack the moral authority to endorse them. What we do instead is... commend them to St. Hubert and tie them to a pillar in order to prolong and intensify their suffering.”

Attitudes toward euthanasia among Swedish medical students

“…The medical students' attitudes and reasoning on euthanasia were close to theoretical deliberations on euthanasia: respect for autonomy and relief of suffering were recognized as major arguments justifying euthanasia. Meanwhile, moral norms of the sanctity of life, the slippery slope argument, the strain put on medical staff, and also the psychological interpretation of euthanasia requests, with doubts of their true meaning, were stated as major arguments in the opposition to euthanasia (11,86,91,118,166,197).…”

Caring for Dying Patients Who Have Air Hunger

“…Although some philosophers debate the distinctions between palliating and killing, or the principle of double effect (Cavanaugh, 1998;Thomasma, 1996Thomasma, , 1998, dialog with these nurses showed that they viewed killing as wrong or "evil." April thought her Roman Catholic roots had influenced her aversion to any action that might prematurely end life ("life at any cost").…”