from our blog: living with dying |
Advance Directive or Euthanasia?
posted by Melissa Barber on July 14, 2010
My Thoughts
Photo by Kok Leng Yeo
South Korea's recent decision is being called a legalization of physician-assisted suicide and even euthanasia. It is, however, neither. When a competent patient makes an informed decision to refuse life-sustaining treatment, the person is not requesting a hastened death with medication, and this is wholly different from the Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts.
There is virtual unanimity in US state law and in our medical profession that the patients’ wishes should be respected when they’ve requested to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining treatment. By Supreme Court precedent, withdrawing or withholding life saving treatment has been allowed in the US since 1976.
South Korea’s Health Ministry recently agreed upon a set of rules which would allow doctors to honor patients’ health care advance directives to withhold life-sustaining procedures. According to the rules, “After a two-week period of consideration with a doctor, patients should express their willingness in a letter of intent or in words that can be proved. These intentions can be withdrawn any time.” Korea’s Health Ministry will recommend these rules to the National Assembly for consideration.
The voter-approved Death with Dignity Acts allow a physician to provide a patient with a life-ending dose of medication, upon the patient’s request, which the patient intends to use to end his or her own life. One key safeguard in these laws — and a distinction from euthanasia — is the patient must self administer the life-ending medication.
Euthanasia, on the other hand, typically refers to a physician taking an active role in administering the lethal medication, often by injection. This practice is in no way related to physician-aid in dying through Death with Dignity laws since it removes the important elements of autonomy and self-determination.
The Death with Dignity National Center works hard to promote and educate people about the importance of Death with Dignity Acts throughout the US. These laws provide guidelines for very specific end-of-life care for the terminally ill and lend peace of mind to the patients and their doctors when faced with perhaps the most difficult decision of their lives.
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The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. From advance directives to physician-assisted dying, death with dignity is a movement to provide options for the dying to control their own end-of-life care.
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