Does palliative sedation produce an ethical resolution to avoid the demand for euthanasia in a Muslim Country?

Abstract

One of the major purposes of palliative sedation is to reduce demand for euthanasia. The present paper analyzes a grievous case which demonstrates the killing of a 23-year-old son by his father due to the son's unbearable pain resulting from metastatic colorectal cancer. The article aimed to elaborate the case to figure out whether palliative sedation can be an alternative to euthanasia in a Muslim country. Nevertheless, the analysis of these two end-of-life issues revealed that the limitation of palliative sedation to an expected lifespan of less than 2 weeks as well as the Islamic view on the importance of protecting consciousness preclude reaching a conclusion that palliative sedation can be an alternative to euthanasia in this particular case. Furthermore, in such cases, the primary problem may be the lack of adequate and appropriate palliative care services, rather than the need for euthanasia or palliative sedation.

The Islamic perspective on physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia

“…To overcome these limitations, a secondary search strategy was performed as follows. The references listed in the 46 selected articles 1,3,5,6,[8][9][10][11][12][13][15][16][17][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]29,30,32,33,36,[40][41][42][43][44]46,[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57]59,66,[71][72][73] were checked for further relevant references, and religious books (Quran and hadith) and legal codes of selected countries were also consulted from websites. The secondary search strategy resulted in an additional 30 references, which we included in this review.…”

“…Thus, the meaning translates to an 'easy death' or a 'good death'. 11,12 With time, euthanasia gained the connotation of 'mercy killing'. 12 Euthanasia is a deliberate intentional act undertaken with empathy and committed to ending a person's life when they suffer from an incurable illness.…”

Review of Euthanasia as a Therapy in Terminal Condition from Health and Law Perspective

“…Proponents argue that euthanasia provides a way for terminal patients to be relieved of their suffering, emphasizing that the patient requests euthanasia and meets the necessary criteria [15], [16], [19], [20], [23], [24]. Supporters of assisted dying advocate for an individual's autonomy to end their life, especially if they experience unbearable symptoms and perceive a poor quality of life.…”