Another point is that you may not agree with euthanasia unless it happens to someone close to you who suffers for the last weeks of their life which might change your perspective. There are also reasons as to why euthanasia should not be allowed these include that it is a form of assisted suicide which is viewed as murder. Another well argued point is that many people believe that if euthanasia was allowed then everyone would start to depend heavily on it and use it in all cases instead of seeking what action may be the best course. For Roman Catholics their religion simply state that it is not allowed they believe that human life is a sacred gift from God to be cherished and respected because every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. They also believe that in heeding God's command, "Thou shall not kill", we recognize that we cannot end of our lives or the lives of others as we please.
Withdrawal of food and fluid from terminally ill patients is a growing ethical issue and concerns patients, families, and nurses as well. The study sampled 160 nurses and they completed a questionnaire that included forced-choice and open-ended questions and the act of withdrawing treatment was supported by nurses only for two specific conditions - if the patients requested it and if it relieved the patient of his or her suffering. However, it is widely agreed that doctors' orders, family's requests or even the patient's advanced age could not and should not ethically justify the act of withholding or withdrawing treatment. The study suggests that apart from the direct clinical issues concerned, the ethical, social and cultural factors seem to play a significant role in any decision of withdrawing or withholding treatment. In this essay we discuss the implications of withdrawing treatment and the role of nurses in this regard.
The two parents are Jehovah’s Witnesses and in their religion states that you shall not have blood of another. So for the parents having the blood transfusion administered to their child was against their moral values, conscience, against their religion and also completely against their beliefs. So from the parents’ point of view they had the right not to administrate the transfusion. The transfusion was made anyway because the child welfare act states that a child in need of protection will be immediately be taking care of. The decision was made that the child was to be ward of the court.
Leaving a medical facility against a physician’s advice puts a patient at risk for untreated or incompletely treated medical issues, increases the need for subsequent readmission or visits to emergency departments and increases the risk of mortality. DAMA presents a dilemma not only to the attending physician but to the nursing staff caring for the patient. Ethically and legally, patients do have the right to agree to or retract consent for medical treatment; however the nursing management of DAMA is much more complicated and multi-faceted than the patient’s right to consent or dissent to treatment. Problems occur with the understanding of the different types of self-discharge from emergency departments, as well as how best to document such encounters and ultimately, how to improve upon current nursing
Other physicians who argue that placebos are unethical do not disagree they can help, but believe the patient should know what they are receiving. This debate over placebos will continue until there are laws forbidding the use of placebos without the patients consent. This is specifically why all countries need to act on making these laws. Making laws that pertain to the use of placebos will not only stop unethical use but also increase trust in physician-patient relationships and provide more means of safety for the patients. One of the biggest issues with physicians prescribing placebos is they are doing so without even telling their patients what it is.
According to Mathew D. Staver, people oppose certain vaccines because some vaccines are made from aborted fetal tissue; such as vaccines for Chicken pox, Hepatitis-A, and Rubella. People who hold strong religious beliefs against abortion oppose these vaccines for the same reasons they oppose abortion. Also, individuals believe that God created the human body as a temple and that the body should not be destroyed by injecting a virus into it. In addition, making vaccines mandatory would violate the first amendment that protects freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, etc. Another reason on why there might be doubt on whether or not to get vaccinated is the reaction some people get or do not once vaccinated.
Ethical Dilemma of Blood Transfusions Health care personnel including doctors, nurses, administrators and other professionals are faced with ethical and legal issues on a daily basis. Many decisions require quick thinking and acting upon in life and death situations. What treatment should be done, are heroic measures to be instituted if the need arises, when is enough really enough, are some of the many questions that put health care personnel in ethical dilemmas. One ethical issue is the use of blood products for transfusions. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe it is acceptable to receive transfusions of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, or plasma.
“Many physicians say they would be clouding their roles as healers if they helped patients to die” (Buchanan 36.) Physicians even take the Hippocratic Oath, which states that “a physician promises to help the sick and never to cause harm” (Buchanan 36.) As Daniel E. Lee, a reporter for the Hastings Center, says “Meaning and hope are possible in all of life’s situations, even in the midst of suffering” (17.) If the United States were to nationally legalize assisted suicide, it would be a disaster, not only because the way it would go against our morals, but the way it would negatively effect today’s society. “Janet, Sherry , Marjorie, and Susan were not terminal by accepted medical definition…[they] were not Kevorkian’s patients in any traditional sense.
Euthanasia opponent always claims that doctors have the duty to help the patient to continue alive even depending on machines only. Otherwise, it is murder. This is ridicules. First, is life-sustaining treatment or artificial feeding methods really “helping” the patients? Can these kinds of treatment really get patient and their families out of suffering as well as give hope?
Discarded “Abortion is the question of choice” (Robert Casey), abortion is a difficult subject, that questions our morality and our ethics, concerning mainly our individual religious and political standpoints. These standpoints can be considered invalid and carry little to no weight on their own, such as verses from the Bible “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb” (The Bible, Jeremiah 1:5). Although many believe in biblical verses and preachings as solid facts, and remain ignorant to the bigger picture. Nonetheless, abortion isn't all black and white, many scientists and researchers also believe abortion is unethical. In the documentary Lake of Fire, one can see the battle between pro life and pro choice views on abortion.