…thics” and does not acknowledge other perspectives. He hews to the formula – no likely benefit + likely harm = no treatment – without recognition that various ethicists have defined the terms benefit, harm and treatment in hugely different ways. Then at the end of the piece, he conflates medical ethical theory with ethical standards and talks about “enforcing” them. Have ethicists been elevated to an unelected, shadow legislature? Can medical ethi…
…e or job loss. Where assisted suicide is legal, I would be treated completely differently due to my condition. This is just one example of how slippery the definition of terminal really is. Under assisted suicide policies, many people with disabilities would qualify for assisted suicide and be denied the suicide prevention and other supports that nondisabled people could take for granted if they expressed a desire to die. Assisted suicide laws are…
…“You have two deaths … Most of the time the victim is not in on the plan.” Stephen Drake, a spokesman for Not Dead Yet, a nonprofit group that opposes assisted suicide laws, also expressed concern over how murder-suicides among the elderly are viewed. “These are acts usually of desperation, not compassion,” he said. “These are people who are feeling depressed or overwhelmed. It’s often a consequence of an emotional crisis.” Please read the rest of…
…essionals in a society where an estimated one in ten elders is abused, mostly by family and caregivers. (Lachs, et al., New England Journal of Medicine, Elder Abuse.[8]) The witnesses on the request form[9] need not know the person either. One of them may be an heir (which would not be acceptable for witnessing a property will), but neither of them need actually know the person (the form says that if the person is not known to the witness, then th…
…essionals in a society where an estimated one in ten elders is abused, mostly by family and caregivers. (Lachs, et al., New England Journal of Medicine, Elder Abuse.[8]) The witnesses on the request form[9] need not know the person either. One of them may be an heir (which would not be acceptable for witnessing a property will), but neither of them need actually know the person (the form says that if the person is not known to the witness, then th…
