PHIL 2390H Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Palliative Care, Ethical Dilemma, Robert Latimer
26 Jun 2018
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Guided Reading: Introduction
Read the Introduction to Chapter 5 and consider the following questions:
What are the different forms of euthanasia?
What is terminal sedation? The use of doses of pain medication to treat a patient’s suffering at
the end of his natural life, with the awareness that such high doses will hasten the patient’s death
by reducing respiration and heart rate.
What is the doctrine of double effect? A principle stating that a proposed action that will have
benefits but will also cause some harm is permissible if the action itself is morally appropriate
and the foreseen harm is not intended.
the agent is considered responsible only for the intended consequence, not for the unintended
one.
There are a number of 'Types' of Euthanasia. Our main focus is this module is whether there is a
moral difference between active and passive euthanasia, in the next module we will focus on the
arguments for and against the legalization of voluntary active euthanasia.
Active
Passive
Voluntary
Non-voluntary
There is also involuntary euthanasia but this is rarely referred to as euthanasia but instead as
murder. This is killing someone AGAINST their wishes to the contrary.
Voluntary Passive Euthanasia
Letting someone die by withholding treatment in accordance with their wishes, expressed at that
moment or in some documented form like a living will. Many would not wish to describe this as
either suicide, or euthanasia.
At present this is not illegal in Canada
Non-voluntary Passive Euthanasia
Letting someone die by withholding treatment without their express consent. This may occur
because the patient is unable to consent because they are not able to communicate such as in the
case of coma or severe physical disability or because they are too young, ie. Babies.
At present this is not illegal in Canada with the consent of the family.
Voluntary Active Euthanasia or Assisted Suicide
Both involve the administration of some drug with the aim to end the life of the patient at the
request of, or with the consent of, the patient.
AS (the patient themselves administers drug)
VAE (drug administered by the physician at the request or with the prior consent of the patient.)
At present both are illegal in Canada, although physicians often go unprosecuted.
Non-voluntary Active Euthanasia
The administration of some drug with the aim to end the life of the patient without the consent of
that patient being given at any time. Such is the case where no living will exist, the wishes of the
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Document Summary
Read the introduction to chapter 5 and consider the following questions: The use of doses of pain medication to treat a patient"s suffering at the end of his natural life, with the awareness that such high doses will hasten the patient"s death by reducing respiration and heart rate. A principle stating that a proposed action that will have benefits but will also cause some harm is permissible if the action itself is morally appropriate and the foreseen harm is not intended. The agent is considered responsible only for the intended consequence, not for the unintended one. There are a number of "types" of euthanasia. Our main focus is this module is whether there is a moral difference between active and passive euthanasia, in the next module we will focus on the arguments for and against the legalization of voluntary active euthanasia. There is also involuntary euthanasia but this is rarely referred to as euthanasia but instead as murder.
