The Important Role Of Intentions And Outcomes - 1448 Words

The Important Role of Intentions and Outcomes in Euthanasia â€Å"I don’t want to die, I’m not suicidal; I just simply cannot go on living this way anymore.† As a hospice volunteer I have seen every psychological stage of the dying. It’s hard to watch someone go through the emotional rollercoaster that accompanies the knowledge of imminent death. Mary was one of my residents for over 6 months, when she first arrived at the inpatient unit it seemed as if she had nothing wrong with her. In the early months I would sit with her and talk about her life, read books with her, and occasionally play a game of cards. She confided in me intimate details of her life, and I looked forward to visiting with her every week. Around the 4th month†¦show more content†¦Active euthanasia is the act of giving the means to a terminally ill patient to cause their death. Whereas, passive euthanasia is the withdrawal of treatment, or the failure to treat with the intentio n of causing the patient’s death. I believe that there is no moral difference between assisting someone to die on their own terms, and not allowing for interventions to take place in order to sustain the life of a person. In both of these cases the patient in question made the autonomous decision to not continue with their life in this way. The outcome is the same in both scenarios. In each of these a person is relieved of their suffering, through a means of death. The person assisting in reaching this outcome had the pure intention of respecting the patient’s wishes in both cases. The result of death for these patients is a more favorable outcome than any form of prolonged life. The importance in determining the lack of distinction lies in intentions. For instance say a doctor is very tired and simply wants to go home, but a person with a severe gunshot wound comes to him and is bleeding profusely. The doctor knows that surgery to repair this injury will take a very long time, and he is not even sure that it will work. Instead of treating this patient the doctor lets the man bleed to death in a