Objectives
After
successfully completing the module, the learner should be able to:
-
Define terms used in discussions about assisted suicide.
-
Identify the degrees of intent and voluntariness present in assisting
patients to kill themselves.
-
Recognize the change in attitude toward patient death.
-
Analyze how changes in law come from changes in attitude.
-
Identify the current state of law of assisted suicide in several
jurisdictions.
-
Analyze the practitionerıs role in assisting patients to kill
themselves.
Introduction
In
this course we define assisted suicide, euthanasia, and related
terms. We show the legal degree of intent necessary for those different
acts. We present some of the history of self-killing. We clarify
the relationship of morals to law, and give the specifics of the
changes in many jurisdictions, in the law of causing death.
We
discuss the change in the way illness care is paid for, as one reason
for changes in attitude toward patient death. We clarify how the
publicıs attitude that they "wouldnıt want to live like that" is
projected onto dying people. We help you examine your professional
and personal values about causing death in patients. Last, we offer
some practical suggestions about coping with the issue, regardless
of what you decide is the right thing to do.
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