Ethical Cultural Considerations

In homes across the world, millions of victims are suffering from fatal and terminal illnesses.With death knocking on their door, should these people have to endure pain and misery knowing what is to come? The answers to these questions are very controversial. Furthermore, there is a greater question to be answered—should these people have the right and option to end the relentless pain and agony through physician assisted death? Physician-Assisted Suicide PAS is highly contentious because it induces conflict of several moral and ethical questions such as who is the true director of our lives. Is suicide an individual choice and should the highest priority to humans be alleviating pain or do we suffer for a purpose? Is suicide a purely

A Life or Death Situation, by Robin Marantz Henig, New York Times, July, 2013, is a review of the debate surrounding the right to a dignified death. It examines the purely philosophical view of the issue; as well as the heart wrenching reality of being faced with that question in one 's personal life. Does a person have a right to choose how he or she dies? How does that choice impact the people who care about about him or her? Should a person who cares about someone be required to cause or aide in his or her death? These questions weigh heavy on the minds of many people, who live

According to Wester, Trepal, and Myers (2009, p. 91), “well counselors are more likely to produce well clients.” Thus, the mental, physical, and emotional health of the counselors has the ability to affect their clients. ACA (2005) states that “Counselors act to avoid harming their clients”. Moreover, counselors have an ethical obligation to evaluate, address, and improve their wellness when necessary (Wolf, Thompson, Thompson, & Smith-Adcock, 2014). Research shows that higher organizational stress was associated with lower client participation in the treatment program (Landrum, Knight, & Flynn, 2012). In addition, the working alliance between the counselor and the client is diminished due to high stress and burnout (O’Sullivan, 2012). A counselor who experiences burnout may lack empathy, respect, positive feeling, therapeutic gridlock, and or boundary violations (Wallace, Lee, & Lee, 2010). Therefore, it is vital for counselors to remediate their impairments when they occur. Counselors have to be aware of the signs and symptoms related to their own mental or emotional problems (ACA, 2005). Likewise, counselors should build resiliency against burnout. Resiliency is built by a continuation of healthy decision making (Wester, Trepal, & Myers, 2009). Counselors should seek help or assistance when they observe warning signs of personal impairment, not just for themselves, but for the wellbeing of

This assignment will discuss a case involving an individual known to me. It centres on the real and contentious issue of the “right to die”, specifically in the context of physician-assisted death. This issue is widely debated in the public eye for two reasons. The first considers under what conditions a person can choose when to die and the second considers if someone ever actually has a ‘right to die’. The following analysis will consider solutions to the ethical dilemma of physician-assisted death through the lens of three ethical theories. It will also take into account the potential influence of an individual’s religious beliefs

Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are both types of medical assistance aiding in ending a suffering patient’s life. This pain may be due to a terminal illness and suffering as well as those in an irreversible coma. This practice of doctor assisted suicide is illegal in many countries, but is increasing in popularity as people start to recognize the positive aspects that euthanasia has to offer for those that fit the criteria. Euthanasia is essential for those, placed in such life diminishing situations, and whom no longer want to experience suffering. This is where the issue gets complicated, and many religious groups argue that individuals should not have the legal right to choose whether they get to die or not, but that it is simply in God’s hands. Suffering patients argue that they should be given the right to choose whether or not they have to experience this suffering, to end their life with the dignity they still have, and to alleviate the stress that their deteriorating life conditions have on their families, themselves and the entire healthcare system. Therefore, despite the many arguments, euthanasia can have a very positive impact on the lives and families of suffering individuals, as well as the Canadian healthcare system.

When working in the healthcare field, many ethical issues come arise that causes us to think about our choices and actions. One major ethical debate is the “Right to Die” or also known as “Death with Dignity”. Death with Dignity is an assisted death by a physician for the terminally ill who do not want to face anymore pain. There have been constant ongoing controversial debates if this is ethically moral with many who are supporters and many who oppose this. Many feel that this situation is similar to having an abortion, but there have been many states who have been fighting to pass laws supporting the “Right to Die”. With all the disputable debates, it is important for healthcare professionals to

One of the most important considerations for counselors and counselors in training is the possibility of burn out due to the inherent stress that comes with being in the helping profession. This burn out can lead to a whole host of problems including ethical and legal issues, attention and concentration issues as well as psychological issues for the counselor. Because of this, many attempts are being made to promote self-care in the industry, but not much progress has been made in measuring the need for teaching self-care to counselors in training.

The decisions we all make at the ending of our life as we know it on earth have been of question as it relates to ethics for years. If a person decides to end their own life by refusing medical care, is this still considered suicide? Is it even morally acceptable to the families who face these situations? In most religions, it is considered a sin to take one’s own life, so how can we be ethically and morally accepting of assisted suicide in people with terminally ill diseases? In this essay, we will examine this issue further and

Euthanasia, or assisted dying, is the process involving physician intervention to kill a patient in order to end his or her suffering. This term is often brought up when dealing with terminally ill patients with a bleak course for their illness. The argument here is that the patients are irrationally suffering because they are terminally ill, and thus, they should be allowed the choice of euthanasia to end their suffering. Most physicians agree with this argument as it falls within their duty to maintain patient autonomy, which is the patient’s right to make decisions for his or her own interest regarding course of treatment. It is especially important to maintain this autonomy in the 21st century, because dignity, and individuality are

Over recent years, there has been developments in the debate surrounding the end of life decisions such as euthanasia and assisted suicide. The approach taken by the law is that we should protect human lives and this is supported by a number of different countries that have also prohibited such end of life decisions. Many people wish to die in a dignified manner and believe that the only way they can do this is to take control over how and when they pass and to do so they would wish to use the life-shortening acts of euthanasia or assisted suicide.

The right to die act is referred to as physician-assisted suicide or human euthanasia. The concept allows a person to choose to end his or her own life with medication, prescribed by a physician. This act has recently been implemented into the State laws of Oregon, Washington, California, and most recently, Colorado. As a result, the topic of human euthanasia has increasingly become an ethical dilemma. Supporting and opposing arguments have been stated and continue to be analyzed without any resolution. The present paper is intended to give an overview of such arguments regarding human euthanasia, ethically and legally. In addition to the ethical dilemma, the importance of patient rights, advocacy, and sensitive nursing care is

The deliberate act of ending another 's life, given his or her consent, is formally referred to as euthanasia. At present, euthanasia is one of the most controversial social-ethical issues that we face, in that it deals with a sensitive subject matter where there is much uncertainty as to what position one ought to take. Deliberately killing another person is presumed by most rational people as a fundamental evil act. However, when that person gives his or her consent to do so, this seems to give rise to an exceptional case. This can be illustrated in the most common case of euthanasia, where the person who is willing to die suffers from an illness that causes great pain, and will result in his or her demise in the not-so-distant future.

Because life and death hang in the balance, the right to die movement can provoke a variety of very strong emotions. As is the case with any topic, there are many differing views and opinions in regards to the right to die. Some health care professionals are very supportive of the idea while others are very opposed. This is no surprise as each individual has his or her own unique feelings about death and what EOL care should look like. It is important that health care providers, nurses and physicians alike, are familiar with the ethical codes that they are sworn to uphold. For physicians, the right to die movement arguably presents a greater ethical dilemma than it does for nurses. In the five states where physician-assisted

The legal status of the practice of euthanasia is very difficult and a highly debatable topic. Unfortunately in life, sometimes there comes a time when you or your loved one's body starts failing, mind starts suffering, and breathe starts halting. Without a choice medical treatment is placed and next thing you know weeks, months, and even years pass by and the person you once knew full of life is instead in the hospital with no purpose other than their tortured presence that is costing thousands of dollars. Many patients with no hopes of recovery turn to euthanasia to end the suffering and when the patients are too weak to make a choice on their own and their survival seems hopeless, family or friends make a very difficult decision to allow the process of euthanasia to take place to end their loved one’s life. At the same time, tons of people and organizations fight against the practice of euthanasia and believe every life is worth saving no matter the conditions. In the following passages below, using academic and scholarly sources, we touch up on a few of the topics that are frequently brought up in many arguments that revolve around euthanasia and explore a variety of views and perspectives.

Introduction: For my research project, I decided to explore the controversy of whether people should have the right to die under their own terms. Euthanasia has become a heated topic, and as of today, it is illegal to end a life through medical means except in Washington DC, California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Euthanasia entails a physician administering medication to end one's life. It is illegal in most of the United States and other countries around the world, but recently supporters and activists have been taking a stand. They have been preaching that it is only moral to respect the wishes of a patient who is terminally ill or suffering to have the right to end their life. When researching my topic, I will be including all sides to the argument. Though my prior experiences and research puts me on one side of the argument. I believe that a terminally ill individual has the right to end their life if they are mentally capable of making the decision.