The Issue of Rational Suicide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The eject of Rational Suicide - Essay ExampleRational suicide, aka euthanasia, is taken from Greek origin meaning heartfelt death. Writers of 1700s Britain referred to euthanasia as a being a preferential method by which to suffocate well (Definition, 2007). In the medical arena, intelligent suicide describes a situation in which a terminally ill enduring is administered a lethal pane of glass of medication, is removed from a life-support dodging or is simply allowed to die without active participation such as by resuscitation. A sterilizes involvement in the procedure could be to either prescribe a lethal dose of drugs with the express intent of ending a life or by intravenously inserting a phonograph needle into the terminal longanimous who then activates a switch that administers the fatal dose (Naji et al, 2005). Physicians, law shapers, and philosophers have debated the notion of rational suicide since the beginning of recorded history but the wide public debate regard ing its legalization has just now surfaced over the past three decades. In the 1970s it became lawful to draft living wills which allows a patient to refuse heroic life saving medical assistance in the event they were incapacitated and could but survive by artificial means (Rich, 2001). In another(prenominal) words, it gave the next of kin the right to remove doctors to pull the plug if the patients condition was considered hopeless, a practice which is now broadly accepted. However, these wills did not eliminate the potential problem of individuals being kept alive for incredibly long periods of time in permanent unconscious states as there were often no provisions for withdrawing nutrition and hydration when no other life support interventions were necessary. This oversight has been largely addressed through power of lawyer. The durable power of attorney allows an individual to designate in writing a proxy or surrogate decision maker (the attorney-in-fact) who has the same deg ree of authority to consent to or decline life-sustaining treatment as the patient would if he or she were competent