Euthanasia and Grey’s Anatomy Euthanasia has quickly become a controversial topic in the medical field. Healthcare professionals have always been viewed as healers or people that do whatever it takes to fight illness. Euthanasia, however, changes this traditional view of healthcare professionals. Many people are confused about the definition of euthanasia. It is more than just “mercy killing” and it is a complicated decision. The definition that best embodies the idea of euthanasia is that it is a process that involves intentionally ending the life of a patient out of concern for them. Some see euthanasia as a good thing, while others see it as wrong. Euthanasia is beneficial in the health care system and should be legalized everywhere. Multiple …show more content…
The most dramatic example of passive euthanasia occurs in the episode “Sympathy for the Parents”, which follows the one discussed earlier in this essay. A woman, Allison, comes into the hospital with her husband, Gary, after fainting and discovers that her cancer has returned. She undergoes a surgery to remove the tumor in her abdominal cavity and the surgery is successful. However, after the surgery, she is unable to breath on her own and the surgeons discover a brain hemorrhage that is inoperable. Allison is in an irreversible coma with no brain activity and her heart is unable to beat without the help of machines. Gary does not take this news well. He believes that she might wake up from the coma and can live off the machines without a problem until she wakes up. But, Allison signed an advanced directive specifically requesting that she never lives off of a mechanical ventilator. Gary argues that she signed that directive too long ago for it to still be valid and he does not want them remove the life support. The hospital is bound by law to honor the advanced directive. Gary begs the doctors not to remove the life support, but Allison is removed from it and passes