Canadian doctors who provide euthanasia struggle with the ethics of killing vulnerable patients
Canadian doctors who provide euthanasia struggle with the ethics of killing vulnerable patients
A homeless man refusing long-term care, a woman with severe obesity, grieving widows. Each euthanasia request sparked debate among Canadian doctors and nurses struggling with the ethics of one of the most permissive laws globally on the practice.
To me, it's unethical.
To me it's unethical to let someone suffer until they finally pass.
That's a false dichotomy.
The principle of double effect allows one to attempt to relieve suffering with treatments having high mortality rates.
Euthanasia is a cost-saving measure to avoid the high costs of palliative care for non-palliative patients, and in the examples cited in the article -- healthcare in general.
Bodily autonomy is so important and the right to end your life is important. Palliative care and hospice care are fantastic for those who need it, but once all those options have been exhausted and progress can't be made on a cure or at least quality of life improvements, you reach a point where giving the patient the tools to take their life makes ethical sense.