Euthanasia:

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• Euthanasia
• Right to die?
• Antanas Urbonas,
• Health Law and Bioethics

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• "A gentle and easy death...The means of bringing
  about a gentle and easy death...
• In recent use The action of inducing a gentle
  and easy death. Used esp. with reference to a
  proposal that the law should sanction the putting
  painlessly to death of those suffering from
  incurable and extremely painful diseases."
• The Oxford English Dictionary Online

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"Euthanasia has many definitions. The Pro-Life
Alliance defines it as 'Any action or omission
intended to end the life of a patient on the
grounds that his or her life is not worth
living.' The Voluntary Euthanasia Society looks
to the word's Greek origins - 'eu' and
'thanatos,' which together mean 'a good death' -
and say a modern definition is 'A good death
brought about by a doctor providing drugs or an
injection to bring a peaceful end to the dying
process.' Three classes of euthanasia can be
identified -- passive euthanasia,
physician-assisted suicide and active euthanasia
-- although not all groups would acknowledge them
as valid terms.BBC News stated in its July 1,
1999 special report titled "A Euthanasia Glossary"
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• "Strictly speaking, the term 'euthanasia' refers
  to actions or omissions that result in the death
  of a person who is already gravely ill.
  Techniques of active euthanasia range from
  gunfire to lethal injection, while passive
  euthanasia can be achieved by failing to treat a
  pneumonia or by witholding or withdrawing
  ventilatory support."
• Jonathan Moreno, PhD, wrote in his 1995
  book Arguing Euthanasia The Controversy Over
  Mercy Killing, Assisted Suicide, and the "Right
  to Die"

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problem

• Euthanasia is divided into passive known as
  ortotanazja and active as murder with compassion.
  Euthanasia is also misleadingly called the
  extermination frequented and compared by people
  with disabilities by Nazis during World War II
• Admissibility of euthanasia is a difficult issue
  Ethics. It has both supporters and opponents. The
  conflict comes because of different value
  systems, which shall be guided by both sides (Pro
  life supporters and pro choise supporters).
  Opponents of euthanasia consider life as sacred
  gift from God (mainly active opponents of
  euthanasia), or consider it to be the highest
  value. Supporters of the claim that it is
  important to respect the will of the patient,
  shield him from suffering, and his right to
  dignity within the meaning of what he accepts.

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Euthanasia a new problem

• for the first time problem of euthanasia is
  raised as an issue in the Netherlands as part
  of the public in 1973. The doctor helps his
  mother to death, society looks favorably. This
  creates a precedent for active euthanasia in the
  Netherlands. 
• In the U.S.  First passive euthanasia case was in
  1974.

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Regulations in the world

• Euthanasia is legalized in Netherlands (2001),
  Belgium, Luxembourg (including sick children),
  Albania, Japan and the U.S. states Texas and
  Oregon And until recently also in Australia
  Northern Territory (Australian court has ruled
  that this issue is only for federal and
  overturned the legality of euthanasia). Passive
  Euthanasia is legal in Ireland and in some
  regions of Mexico.
• Special form of euthanasia is allowed in
  Switzerland Where one can prescribe a lethal dose
  of sleeping pills, but the patient must accept it
  yourself. Its private buissiness assisted dying
  company called Dignitas
• In other countries, euthanasia is not allowed and
  punishable as murder or simply a milder.

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Euthanasia in Netherlands (1)

• The Dutch law allows euthanasia only if all are
  met the following conditions
• - patient's suffering is unbearable with no
  prospect of improvement in the status of the
  patient
• - request by the patient euthanasia must be
  voluntary and should be kept to a predetermined
  time, can not be met if the person is under the
  influence of drugs, suffering from a mental
  illness or have been influenced by other people
• - the patient must be fully aware of their
  health status, prognosis and asserting their
  rights

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Euthanasia in Netherlands (2)

• - to be consulted with at least one independent
  doctor, who must confirm the patient's health
  status and conditions referred to above
• - Euthanasia must be carried out in a medically
  appropriate way by the doctor or patient in the
  presence of a physician
• - you must be at least 12 years (patients aged
  12 to 16 years old must obtain parental consent)
• - Dutch legislation recognizes the validity of
  the will of the patient's written statement. Such
  declaration may be used when the patient will be
  in a coma or in another state, which makes it
  impossible to agree to euthanasia.
• - Only legalized in 2001, but practise is way
  earlier.

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Euthanasia in Luxembourg

• In Luxembourg February 20 2008 Luxembourg, the
  Parliament adopted by a majority of 30 of the 59
  votes in a law legalizing shortening life
  seriously ill persons upon request. It entered
  into force after the second ballot in March 2009
  . The bill was strongly criticized by the
  Catholic Church (which have a large impact on
  society Luxembourg), most of the medical and the
  ruling Christian Social Party. According to the
  draft decision on euthanasia can only be taken
  provided that the patient is seriously and
  terminally ill. Decide on euthanasia can be taken
  include writing down a will

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Euthanasia in Belgium

• The Belgian parliament Belgium passed a law
  legalizing euthanasia in September 2002 year.

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Euthanasia in Albania

• Albania was the first country Europe that
  legalized euthanasia - has been the case in 1999
  year under amendments to the Law on the Rights of
  the terminally ill. It legalizes any form of
  active euthanasia, with the consent of the
  patient. Passive euthanasia is permissible with
  the consent of three members of the family of the
  sick person. Albanian legislation on euthanasia,
  is criticized by Catholic Church and some
  environments Pro-life.

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Euthanasia in Australia

• Euthanasia is now illegal in Australia. It was
  once legal in the Northern Territory, by
  the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995. In
  1997, the Australian Federal Government overrode
  the Northern Territory legislation through the
  introduction of the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997.

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Euthanasia in Ireland

• it is illegal for a doctor (or anyone)
  to actively contribute to someone's death. It is
  not, however, illegal to remove life support and
  other treatment (the "right to die") should a
  person (or their next of kin) request it - in
  other words, passive euthanasia is legal. A
  September 2010 Irish Times poll showed that a
  majority, 57 of adults, believed that
  doctor-assisted suicide should be legal for
  terminally ill patients who request it

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Cases (1)

• Karen Ann Quinlan collapsed on April 15th, 1975.
  She was twenty-one years old. Within hours, she
  entered a coma from which she could never
  recover. Her parents, staunch Roman Catholics,
  knew their daughter would not want to be kept
  alive by extraordinary means. A year later, as
  Karen lay in a "persistent vegetative state," the
  courts finally allowed her treatment to be
  stopped but artificial feeding was continued and
  she was maintained as a living corpse until June
  1985, when she eventually died of pneumonia. Her
  case spurred thousands of letters of sympathy and
  fuelled the "right to die" movement.

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Karen before the accident
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Cases (2)

• Nancy Cruzan lost control of her car one day in
  January 1983 in Missouri. When the paramedics
  arrived, they were able to restore her breathing
  and heartbeat and she was transported,
  unconscious, to hospital. She continued to be fed
  through a surgically- implanted tube. After
  several years, a court found that, although her
  respiration and circulation continued unaided,
  she was oblivious to her surroundings except for
  reflexive responses to sound her brain had
  degenerated, irreversibly she suffered
  irreversible muscle and tendon damage and had no
  cognitive or reflex ability to swallow food or
  water or to maintain her essential daily needs
  nor would she ever recover such an ability. She
  lay in persistent vegetative state even though
  she had told her housemate that, if sick or
  injured, she would not wish to continue her life
  unless she could live "at least halfway normal."
  This was the first time the U.S. Supreme Court
  had been faced with what we call the "right to
  die." She had not made a living will, and the
  court case paved the way for a uniform, national
  Patient Self- Determination Act that regulated
  living wills and made them more widely available.

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Book about Nancy Cruzan case
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Situation for society approval

• For example, Export model  of euthanasia of the
  Netherlands without the imposition  would be a
  big mistake. One of the reasons why it works so
  well in Netherlands is the high standard of
  medical care and trust in doctors. A large
  proportion of primary medical care is done
  by family physicians in the Netherlands. Many
  people visit the same doctor for many years, and
  between doctors and patients develop strong long
  term relationships of trust. Therefore, even
  before the consolidation of euthanasia this has
  been popular for a while and now is also
  not always officially done.

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Ethical and legal issues of euthanasia

• 1. Especially difficult situation - seriously
  ill teenagers will to die. In society teenager
  is treated as  nether a child nor an
  adult, so no one knows he or she
   reasonably able to decide.  Should teenagers
  decide or parents?
• 2. Legalizing euthanasia in the
  Netherlands raised the debate on this issue. It
  was originally intended to make a decision to
  allow 12 years of age for decide for themselfs
  , regardless of parents' opinions. The "too low pu
  blic support" raised this age to 16 years.
• 3. How about people, who was unconscious always
  during the treatment? Comatose state located? (the
  most common passive euthanasia cases in the
  U.S.)
• 4. How about Alzheimer's disease or
  other disabling mental illness sufferers?

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• The End
• Thanks for attention