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Euthanasia Ethical Dilemma

1238 Words5 Pages

One of the biggest ethical dilemmas facing health care providers today is the use of euthanasia, more commonly known as doctor or physician assisted suicide. While this topic has been brought up in many political debates and is frequently found in every day conversations, it is especially prominent among health care providers within the medical field. It is not only an intriguing topic that raises questions for many individuals but it is also a serious ethical question that people in health care and medical professions must consider as the issue is frequently present in much of their work. Many people in these professions work to help save and preserve lives, but they also must comply with a patient’s wishes, so what happens when a patient …show more content…

70). These principles only further add to the questions surrounding this ethical dilemma as to whether or not it is ethical for medical professionals to aid patients in ending their life. If it is the job of health care professionals to do everything in their power to save lives, as these guiding principles suggest, then is it ethically right for them to take a life with euthanasia. However, as Stoyles and Costerie (2013) point out, health care providers have a “legal and professional obligation to follow their patient’s directives” (p. 675). By that standard, one could argue that the health care professional has no choice but to provide the patient with the desired euthanasia. With so many varying duties and ethical views of health care professionals it is important to start looking for solutions or actions we can take to resolve the issue, or to at least work towards finding a middle …show more content…

While there would be people that would argue this goes against a patient’s rights to choose for themselves, if it was not legally an option, then they wouldn’t have it as a choice. If euthanasia was not a legal option that patients had then health care professionals would not be faced with the ethical, and possibly moral dilemma over whether or not providing a patient with euthanasia goes against any ethical guidelines to preserve and save lives. Health care professionals could instead focus on administering medication that would help to ease a patient’s pain and work to make them as comfortable as

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