Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Euthanasia

Our group will be discussing euthanasia, but with a “futuristic” twist. Kindly read the
below article from Dr. Pollard and view the first 2 minutes of Dr. Michio Kaku’s interview.
Where do you think the future will lead euthanasia?
For fun, feel free to enjoy the remainder of Dr. Michio Kaku’s interview. There are 10
quiz questions for a possible 2 runs.
We look forward to our class discussion.
Thank you, Kayla, Ilija, and Ana

Human Rights and Euthanasia article by Dr. Brian Pollard, MB., BS., DA., FFA RACS,
1998
http://www.bioethics.org.au/Resources/Online%20Articles/Other%20Articles/Human%2
0rights%20and%20euthanasia.pdf
Interview with Theoretical Physicist Dr. Michio Kaku (please watch first 2 minutes only)


Quiz Questions
1. Text - In 1948, what did the Universal Declaration of Human Rights declare?
2. Text - According to Dr. Brian pollard what are some common reasons to want
legalized euthanasia?
3. Text - What does Dr. pollard say about what is implied by wanting to legalize
Euthanasia?
4. Text - What has never been approved by a code of ethics?
5. Text - What must the doctor decide before ending a life?
6. Text - T/F Does Dr. Frank Varghese believe that if patients were always see by
someone with appropriate psychiatric experience then it is unlikely euthanasia would be
considered?

7. Text - T/F – In 1994 at Flinders University in South Australia, only 1⁄4 of patients that
were euthanized had not given consent.
8. Text - Yes or No – Do YOU believe “wants” are being masqueraded by “rights”?
9. Video - What animal was used to record the first transfer of memory?
10. Video - Which patients are the current focus of memory transfer?
==
Euthanasia the word itself means “good death”. Euthanasia according to google
dictionary is “the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful
disease or an irreversible coma”. Those for Euthanasia argue that the right to die is
protected by the same constitutional safe guards that guarantee such rights as
marriage, procreation, and the refusal or termination of live saving medical treatment.

We will be discussing euthanasia, but with a “futuristic” twist. Kindly read the
below article from Dr. Pollard and view the first 2 minutes of Dr. Michio Kaku’s interview.
We look forward to our class discussion. Thank you, Kayla, Ilija, and Ana.

Article and video links:

 Human Rights and Euthanasia article by Dr. Brian Pollard, MB., BS., DA., FFA
RACS,1998 -
http://www.bioethics.org.au/Resources/Online%20Articles/Other%20Articles/Hum
an%2 0rights%20and%20euthanasia.pdf
 Interview with Theoretical Physicist Dr. Michio Kaku (please watch first 2 minutes
only) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckwGUai_Vvk


5 comments:

  1. I'm not sure what the link between euthanasia and uploading a consciousness into technology is. It's a cool idea though.

    If one can refuse or terminate life saving medication or treatment, then they should also be able to have someone help them die, as refusal is just dragging along the inevitable. I believe it is more merciful to allow someone to go with dignity and peace than in prolonged torment.

    How would we get the resources for psychologists to see every person with a treatable mental condition that could make them want to be euthanized when we as a nation vastly downplay mental illness and don't have a safety net for mentally ill people? Our resources are already stretched thin and it does not seem high on the list of priorities for society in general.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alternate Questions:
    1. When did it become apparent how extensively human rights had been lately so abused?
    2. What 1966 proclamation was added to the Declaration of Human Rights?
    3. T/F There is an ethical right to die.
    4. What does the right to take one's own life conflict with?
    5. What would be the issue if autonomy were unlimited?
    6. What causes the presence of genuine self-determination to evaporate?
    7. What did the 1994 Report of the Select Committee on Medical Ethics of the House of Lords conclude?
    8. T/F It is acceptable to want the law changed to uphold a spurious right or even a genuine right that has been shown cannot be protected

    Discussion Question:
    1. Can you see any situation where non-voluntary euthanasia would be acceptable?

    Euthanasia Link:
    Here's an article pro/conning legalizing euthanasia, and it makes a lot of interesting points.
    https://euthanasia.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001320

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joseph Churchill
      1. At the end of the Second World War
      2. Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.
      3. True
      4. The principle of criminal law and the genuine right to one’s life.
      5. A competent request for euthanasia could be carried out with no rational stated reason on a healthy person
      6. Serious debilitating illness of any kind can cause degrees of confusion and depression. This combined with the context of no objective criteria.
      7. It would be next to impossible to ensure that all acts of euthanasia were truly voluntary, and that any liberalisation of laws would not be abused.
      8. F

      I see many situations non-voluntary euthanasia is seen as acceptable, even if I do not agree with it. We euthanize our pets when they start to die of old age. Patients who are brain dead have a good reason to be euthanized. However, involuntary euthanasia has no situations where it will be ok, and should be considered as murder in certain contexts.

      Delete

  3. Alternae Quiz Questions
    1. Video: T/F memory is a static entity
    2. Video; What is Dr. Michio Kaku’s view on telepathy
    3. What was the outcome of public opinion polls in Australia
    4. What is the great difference between the doctor and the suffering patient?
    5. The euthanasia debate is distorted in what two important ways?
    6. What does Autonomy involve according to the article
    7. T/F Words such as ‘equal’and ‘arbitrary’ were meant to define the essence of natural rights.
    This website gives the pros and cons of Euthanasia
    https://euthanasia.procon.org/

    This article talks about the ethics of Euthanasia
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/

    These two articles describe mind uploading
    http://www.minduploading.org/

    http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35786771

    ReplyDelete
  4. Alternate Quiz Questions
    1. What are natural rights?
    2. What are welfare rights?
    3. The words, ‘equal’, ‘inherent’, ‘inalienable’, ‘without discrimination’ and ‘arbitrary’ were meant to define the essence of natural rights and imply that…
    4. A common presumption exists that a person has a ‘right to die’. What does this mean?
    5. What does an ‘ethical right to die’ mean?
    6. (T/F) The doctor’s autonomy will always be more determinative of the fact of euthanasia than the patient’s, since euthanasia will not occur without a consenting doctor.
    7. What two issues are omitted when we assume that euthanasia is an autonomous right?
    8. Why do patients with life-threatening illness often have impaired capacity to make rational decisions?
    9. The doctor must be presumed to be _____ capable of decision-making, prepared to have his or her ______ scrutinized, and prepared to take both ____ and ____ responsibility for them.

    ReplyDelete